Most of the modern RV are small all carbon carbon composite type with multi-directional ablative carbon-carbon re-entry nose tip making it light , tough and peel off like banana skin during rentry , reducing thermal stress and maintain high speed ( without significant degradation compared to its reentry speed ) , so the point is not very valid now compared to 60 , 70 maragning steel type simple RV

That’s what I mean when a label warheads as “heavy”. Heavy means a big ballistic coefficient rather than a “very dense” warhead. In fact a warhead can be “light” in the physical sense and “heavy” because has a big ballistic coefficient.

Yet they claim that S-400 can intercept a 3,500 km IRBM which nicely overlaps with THAAD performance parameters , happy lucky coincidence.

It can but in an endo-atmospheric mode. A la Patriot, just like S-300PM1/PM. See Sean’s blog. The reach in antiballistic mode is 60 km (not 400 km). It not works in a “shot-look-shot” mode but in a “shot-shot-pray” mode. As Scott told us Sprint can intercept ICBM at even lower altitudes.

The BIG Missile is a huge one and a twin stage missile , people tend to generalize the S-400 interceptor and bracket the 9M96E/E2 with the big missile , the big missile was still in development even in late stage and its real data is classified ,
The former is the real IRBM killer , while the latter is more of a Patriot’ski type ( it got the name because of its HTK capability like PAC-3 ) although its max altitude of E2 is twice that of patriot.

The BIG Missile is not a twin stage missile. Is from the 48N6 lineage but larger. It may be just the 48N6E3. Certainly is larger than 48N6E2 (some sources cite a 2.200 kg mass) but in packed in usual S-300 canisters. Its main mission is to kill valuable non-maneuverable targets at distances up to 400 km.
The twin stage missile might be the on on development for the S-500 with some ASAT potential.

Its a pity that S-400 are being compared to Patriot system when infact they are new 4th Gen SAM. The performance figures viz a viz Patriot were met by many interceptors of S-300 series and in many case were coolly surpassed.

Russians never compared S-400 with THAAD They did it with Patriot systems and certainly surpasses it in many parameters but it is not an exo-atmospheric interceptor (I.e. THAAD).

I thought the THAAD radar looked huge until I discovered that wasn’t a standard sized 18-wheeler trailer it was on.

Scott, you know the Russians LOVE big things. MARS will certainly be big. I.e. Gamma-DE has a 8 m * 5.2 m aperture. If MARS comprises two coupled GAMMA-DE, this may imply a 16 m * 5.2 m aperture. 😮

If S-400 can intercept a IRBM class missile corresponding to a range of 3,500 km then it is a THAAD class missile as that is what THAAD is capable of intercepting.

The 9M96E/E1 are more in the class of Aster-15/30 but with a HTK capability and a lower average speed of ~ M 3.0

Yes, in the sense that’s able to attack warheads from IRBM with ranges up to 3.000 km (4.8 km/s) and no in the sense that it is a exo-atmospheric interceptor. It is an endo one.

Hence the S-400 altitude limitation of ~ 40 km does not makes sense , as at that altitude it will hardly gets a chance of 1 hit at a target , the kill window is just too narrow at that altitude and it does not fit into its 3,500 km kill target.

I read some time back the big missile has a max altitude of interception of ~ 175 km and range of 400km , makes perfect sense for 3,500 km interception with larger kill box and multiple shot opportunity , as capable as THAAD.

So either they a lying about the IRBM interception capability of S-400 ( 3,500 km ) or the interception altitude of ~ 175 km i read is the correct value.

But THAAD works in a shot-look-shot mode. S-400 launches (at least) two missiles per target to minimize the miss-likelihood in the kill window .
Eyy, there is YouTube a video showing a S-300V interception of a ballistic target. The system launched three missiles that exploded at a rapid sequence on a sort “blasts column” that was “pierced” by the target. Quite impressive coordination.

I believe the 175 km altitude interception corresponds to the S-500 missiles. This one can also do ASAT jobs.

On the reach of the S-400 system. Taken from an official system presentation with a speech from Mr. Ivanov.

http://img691.imageshack.us/i/s400.pdf/

No THAAD like system. S-400 is a sort of “hyper-Patriot PAC-2”. With 9M96 missiles will be a “hyper-Patriot PAC-2 & PAC-3” system.

Like the W66 warhead on the Sprint missile …

Thst’s rigth; and even below 1 kT.

Do you know the status and mission of the nuclear 5V55R missile.?

AFAIK, EMP warheads just in the Iskander. May be Trident can inform us better.

Upgrade to the S-300V? Finally admitting that the “anti-aircraft missile” system is really an ABM system?

S-300V was an ABM from scratch. It has a powerful anti-aircraft capability but was designed to confront the Pershing and Pershing-II threat. Ironically, it acquired full operative capability in 1988, that’s 1 year after the signing of the INF.

If S-500 can intercept ( ASAT ) at LEO with a orbit velocity of 7.2 Km/s then it can well intercept ICBM and that would be a logical capability for S-500 to have.

Not an anti-ICBM. According to reference [1], just an anti-IRBM”

The S-500 is a new generation surface-to-air missile system, designed for intercepting short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles with ranges up to 3,500 km and for defense against Airborne Early Warning and Control, Airborne Warning and Control System and jamming aircraft. It is an upgraded version of the S-400 SA-20 Triumf. The S-500 will be able to destroy ballistic supersonic targets flying at a speed of 5 km/s.

It can not intercept warheads from ICBM by their own capability. It might intercept warheads from ICBM if networked with the LPARs & Don-2NP network. That’s where Samoderzhets system may start to play.

The Russian equivalent of THAAD is the S-400 (40N6) “big missile” , The Big Missile and US THAAD systems are capable of intercepting a 3,500 km range IRBM.

AFAIK, 40N6, if exists, is aimed at attacking aerial target at distances up to 400 km. In may intercept ballistic targets at altitudes up to 40 km (according to data from a You-tube video –in Russian-, where Ivanov presented the system). No THAAD. S-500 will be the THAADsky.