How the S-400 missile system ‘catches’ US stealth fighters?
MOSCOW, (BM) – The Russian online publication Aviapro published in its material the principle of operation, according to which the Russians managed to detect American stealth fighters with the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system.
- US and Israel prepared the F-35 to strike Russian S-400 missile system
- Russia’s S-400 has detected F-35s near the Iran’s border, US confirmed jet’s visibility
- Pentagon has tested the F-35’s abilities close to Russian S-400 missile system
Experts (the media does not say which exact experts and from which nationality – ed.) Claim that the S-400 is designed to operate on special wavebands that can bypass stealth protection. According to the same sources, the S-400 can use this operation principle to detect a stealth fighter in a range of 300 km.
Stealth technology is based on two principles – a specially designed fighter geometry and a radio-absorbing coating. The first aims to scatter the radio signals that have reached the fighter in different directions, while the second to absorb most of them without being returned to the radar.
Here is what the experts say about the cited principle of operation of the S-400 missile system: “S-400 detects the invisible targets with two VHF and UHF radars. The repeater of these two stations is a passive radar with a target detection range of up to 700 km. The stealth aircraft signal, detected by these passive radars from a very long distance, is transmitted to the UHF radar “Protivnik-G”. A characteristic of this radar station is the presence of a 5.5×7 m digital antenna. Along with this, the Protivnik-G station is equipping with powerful computers. The stealth aircraft components are transmitted to the checkpoints of S-400 air defense missile systems and thus transmitting a signal to the control radars from the centimeter range of the S-400 system”.
BulgarianMilitary.com tried to find more information about the cited principle of operation and found that the Chinese edition of Sohu had written a similar article. I.e., the quoted experts from the Russian media Aviapro may turn out to be Chinese sources.
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However, the Russian media adds a vital clarification – the export version of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system is not equipped with the discussed additional radars and repeaters, which calls into question the effectiveness of the systems intended for sale outside Russia. However, journalists in the article note that export versions can also detect stealth fighters, but at shorter distances, which calls into question, for example, the effectiveness of the Turkish S-400.
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