Air Defence Troops in Novosibirsk region completed drills, repelling a simulated air attack by a hypothetical aggressor on Friday, the press service of the central military district of the Russian Armed Forces has announced.
“The troops of the 14th Army Aerospace and Air Defence Forces of the central military district, deployed in Novosibirsk region, prevented an attack by the airborne assets of the opposing force on high-value targets,” the press service said in a statement.
The exercise reportedly saw troops deploy and carry out a 20 km march toward the patrol area, before firing on simulated enemy targets. Over 200 personnel and about 30 pieces of equipment were involved. Under the drill scenario, enemy targets were located by radar and tracked and intercepted by S-400 crews, who downed simulated enemy cruise missiles and aircraft using electronic training launches.
The S-400 entered service in 2007, with the Russian military receiving a total of 27 regiments (for a total of 432 launchers) since then, with the highly mobile systems deployed across the country, complementing the broader air defence network. In addition to Russia, the system has been sold to China, Belarus and Turkey. India expects to receive its batch of S-400s sometime in the next three to four years, recently asking its Russian partners to expedite the process.
The missile system is presently the most advanced mobile air defence system in Russia’s arsenal, and is capable of destroying enemy aircraft, drones, and ballistic and cruise missiles.
