Can hypersonic missiles defeat the S-400?

Modern hypersonic weapons travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5, making them exceptionally difficult to track. Unlike traditional ballistic missiles that follow predictable arcs, hypersonic glide vehicles manoeuvre unpredictably at low altitudes to evade radar detection.

The Russian S-400 Triumf possesses the raw speed required to intercept hypersonic threats. Its advanced interceptor missiles can accelerate to staggering speeds of up to 17,000 kilometres per hour, or roughly Mach 14.

Against older hypersonic targets, the S-400 remains highly effective. The system routinely calculates intercepts for traditional ballistic missiles across a 60-kilometre radius, destroying them with 143-kilogram high-explosive fragmentation warheads.

However, next-generation hypersonic glide vehicles expose critical vulnerabilities in the USD 1.25 billion air defence system. Defence assessments indicate that the S-400 has yet to demonstrate full combat capability against these highly manoeuvrable, upper-tier threats.

To address this vulnerability, Russia is actively developing the highly advanced 77N6 interceptor series. Unlike previous Russian surface-to-air missiles, the 77N6 utilise precision hit-to-kill technology specifically engineered to physically destroy incoming ballistic warheads.

Defeating modern hypersonic gliders also requires flawless sensor networks. While the S-400's panoramic radar can track 300 targets simultaneously, no single radar frequency can guarantee a weapon-quality track against low-observability, high-speed threats.

Ultimately, military experts conclude that no single battery provides an impenetrable hypersonic shield. Successfully defeating modern glide vehicles requires networking the S-400 with the new S-500 Prometheus system, which is purpose-built to engage targets near the edge of space.