Russia's Sale Of It's S-400 Air Defense System To China Will Dramatically Alter The Military Balance In Asia

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Timothy R. Heath, War On The Rocks: How China's New Russian Air Defense System Could Change Asia

The Russian S-400 TRIUMF (NATO designation SA-21) surface to air missile (SAM) entered the global media spotlight late in 2015 when Moscow deployed the system after Turkey’s shoot-down of a Russian Su-24 FENCER airplane near the Syria border on Thanksgiving Day. The Russian deployment compelled Turkey to pause its air operations and reportedly impacted the execution of U.S. and coalition air operations in the region, demonstrating the considerable reach and influence of this advanced air defense system.

This episode demonstrated the S-400’s potential as a weapon with strategic effects, a role that China, the first export recipient of the system, may seek to exploit in future crises. In April 2015, Russia announced the sale of four to six S-400 battalions to China. It remains unclear where China will deploy the assets. However, deployment of the system could influence the regional security order and dramatically impact the ability of the United States and its allies to respond to crises related to Taiwan, the Koreas, and the East and South China Seas.

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WNU Editor: This paragraph sums up why the S-400 is a game changer ....

.... A single S-400 missile that costs a few million dollars could bring down an asset worth hundreds of millions of dollars, such as the RQ-4 unmanned intelligence aircraft, F-22 or F-35 fighters, or worse, a B-2 bomber worth over $2 billion per plane. And it could do so from farther away than any adversary SAM has yet been capable of. The S-400 thus offers a favorable cost ratio that could influence decision-making at strategic levels.