Russia to deploy 3 S-400 Battalions in 2012

Russia will accept into service three battalions of S-400 Triumph air defense missile systems in 2012, Air Force chief of staff Major General Viktor Bondarev said on Wednesday. “One battalion is currently being deployed at Nakhodka [Russia’s Far East], a second will be based near Moscow, and a third in the Air Force and Air Defense Force chief command. All systems will be delivered by the end of this year,” he said. The Russian Armed Forces currently have two S-400 regiments, both near Moscow, and a third regiment is to be deployed in the Baltic Fleet. Bondarev also said S-300 systems will soon go out of production and only S-400s will be made. The S-400 Triumph long- to medium-range surface-to-air missile system can effectively engage any aerial target, including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise and ballistic missiles at up to 400 kilometers and an altitude of up to 30 kilometers. The Russian Defense Ministry has said there are no plans so far to export the S-400. It will be produced only for the Russian Armed Forces.