Russia deploys S-400 air defense missiles

PanARMENIAN.Net - New S-400 Triumf air defense systems have been delivered to Russia’s Western Military District and will be put on alert duty in a month, district commander Arkady Bakhin said on Tuesday, February 21, RIA Novosti reported.

He did not say exactly where the missiles will be stationed.

Air Force Commander Alexander Zelin previously said S-400 systems would be deployed near Russia's borders in 2012.

Some of them will most likely be placed in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad in response to the planned European missile shield, which Moscow considers a threat to its national security.

Russia currently has two S-400 regiments protecting the airspace around Moscow.

State-controlled arms exporter Rosoboronexport has said Russia will not export S-400 systems before 2015 and may not start deliveries to Belarus and Kazakhstan until after 2014.

The S-400 (SA-21 Growler) air defense system is expected to form the cornerstone of Russia's theater air and missile defenses by 2020.

The S-400 can engage targets at a range of up to 400 kilometers and an altitude of 40,000-50,000 meters. The system uses an array of assets optimized for engaging ballistic and cruise missiles.