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Russia unveils missile system

Official says upgraded defense a response to U.S. activities

By Kimberly Ashton
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
August 8th, 2007 issue

As the Czech Republic and Poland mull the U.S. proposal to host an anti-missile shield, Russia has given Europe and the United States something else to think about.
On Aug. 6, the Russian Air Force announced it is deploying an upgraded missile-defense system.
Although the system has been under development for years, the recent announcement is being used to bolster Russian rhetoric, says Christopher Langton of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
Russia is saying, “We believe you are threatening us and we have developed a system which is as good as yours,” Langton says.
The Russian government began developing the technology to defend against any weapons launched from nations to its south, Langton says. But, given the current dust-up over U.S. missile-defense plans, Russia is sending a message that it, too, has modern systems, he adds.
Vladimir Fjodorov, a spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Prague, tells The Prague Post, “The development of this system has been a long-term project. It was planned to be completed by 2015.”
“Of course,” he says, “U.S. activities and attitude have sped the process up.”
The system, called the Triumf S-400, is significantly different from the shield the United States wants to station in Europe.
While the U.S. system would defend against long-range ballistic missiles, the Russian system would defend against aircraft and medium-range missiles, a Russian Air Force commander told the International Herald Tribune (IHT).
The system can reach targets within a 400-kilometer radius and up to 35 kilometers in altitude according to information from the Federation of American Scientists, a nonprofit group that analyzes security issues.
It cannot be used against intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), as could the proposed U.S. system. Russia has another system, circling Moscow, that can defend against ICBMs, according to Langton.
The first S-400 units were deployed Aug. 6 near Moscow, the IHT reported. Each unit has a missile launcher, radar and a control vehicle. Each also carries a small payload, Langton said.
At press time, U.S. Embassy officials said it was “too early” to comment on the move.
— Naďa Černá contributed to this report.

Kimberly Ashton can be reached at kashton@praguepost.com


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