Russian Eastern Military District’s Air Force and Air Defense Army S-400 ‘Triumf’ surface-to-air missile systems have deployed to Belarus and will go on air defense combat alert as part of an inspection of the Union State’s Response Force. S-400 involved in an inspection of the Union State’s Response Force have arrived in Belarus. From the unloading station, the personnel will conduct a march on their vehicles to an unfamiliar training ground in the Brest Region. Upon arrival at the places of accomplishing their training tasks, the Russian teams of the S-400 launchers will go on air defense combat alert as part of the Russia-Belarus integrated air defense system.
During the joint drills, the troops will practice reinforcing state border sections in potential areas of the illegal penetration of armed gangs into the territory of Belarus and shutting down channels of the supply of arms, munitions and other means that can be used for destabilizing the situation in the country, eliminating outlawed armed gangs and enemy subversive and reconnaissance groups. The troops will practice their joint operations at the Domanovsky, Gozhsky, Obuz-Lesnovsky, Brestsky and Osipovichsky training grounds and also on some terrain sections on Belarusian soil. The Baranovichi, Luninets, Lida and Machulishchi airfields will also be involved in the drills.
The inspection of the Russia-Belarus Union State’s Response Force will run in two stages. At the first stage before February 9, the Belarusian and Russian militaries will practice deploying troops and creating task forces in dangerous directions on the territory of Belarus within a short period of time. During this stage, the troops will practice protecting and defending vital state and military facilities and protecting the state border in the airspace and checking the preparedness and capability of air defense quick reaction alert forces for accomplishing the tasks of shielding vital facilities. At the second stage of the inspection that will run on February 10-20.
The S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler), previously known as the S-300 PMU-3, is a mobile, surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed in the 1990s by Russia’s Almaz Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering as an upgrade to the S-300 family. The S-400 went into service on April 28, 2007. The first battalion of the newest surface-to-air missile systems assumed combat duty on August 6. The S-400 Triumf and Pantsir missile system can be integrated into a two-layer defense system. In 2017, the S-400 was described by The Economist as “potent” and “one of the best air-defence systems currently made”.
