Military Watch Magazine spoke about the advantages of the Soviet S-200 system.
Military Wait magazine published an article "Why NATO hated the S-200 - the longest-range air defense system of the Cold War".
The author recalls that this anti-aircraft missile system played a central role in Soviet air defense throughout most of the Cold War, and since 1982 it has been exported around the world, and in many countries it is still in service. Today, the main operators are North Korea, Syria, Iran, Poland and Bulgaria. They acquired missile systems in the 1980s and 90s. In addition to them - Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, which inherited the S-200 after the collapse of the USSR.
The system was developed to protect against all types of air attack as a more advanced and long-range analogue of the S-75 complex.
The first S-200 units entered service in 1966 and remained in service until 1996, when a large number of air defense systems were decommissioned.
The S-200 missiles used a semi-active homing head for guidance. When the target was hit, either a high-explosive fragmentation warhead or a tactical nuclear warhead was detonated, and the latter could only be launched at a command signal.
The difference in performance between the C-200, released in the 1980s, and the original versions of the 1960s was very significant. At the same time, the top-end version of the S-200D had a range of 300 km compared to 175 km of the original S-200A.
Later versions had a higher flight ceiling - up to 40 km, were more versatile, had excellent potential against ballistic missiles and had a much higher probability of hitting targets. They could also hit targets moving at low hypersonic speeds up to Mach 6, had a target detection range of up to 600 km and the ability to search for targets at an altitude of more than 45,000 meters - these capabilities are ideal for protection against ballistic missiles.
Each S-200 battalion used 6 launchers and a target illumination radar. The system was designed to defeat ballistic missiles and bombers. However, it could threaten fighters and ground attack aircraft, including at long distances. So, in the hands of the Syrians, the S-200 shot down the A-4 aircraft of the US Navy and the F-16 of the Israeli Air Force.
During the Cold War, no Western competitor surpassed it in the range of destruction. Despite its impressive capabilities, the S-200 had one significant drawback. This is a lack of mobility. It was possible to deploy the system only on stationary sites. Consequently, the system was a relatively easy target for the enemy.
Nevertheless, the S-200 remains relevant to this day. Thus, Iran, which also has a more modern S-300 in its arsenal, is investing heavily in modernizing the system and intends to make it mobile.
As before, this complex is a fairly reliable protection against ballistic missiles and high-speed surveillance aircraft, concludes MW.
Oleg Koryakin
