There’s no “basically” to it, there is a THAAD radar set in Japan. From what I hear the deployment was supposed to be hush-hush, but they announced in the base paper that the FBX-T radar system had arrived. Oops. Now you hear about the radar having a different purpose, but then the DoD goes and gives both the FBX-T and the THAAD radar set the name AN/TPY-2, basically telling everyone that they are one and the same. The idea that we’d need to base an ABM (FBX-T has been referred to as a forward-based anti-ICBM radar) radar set in Japan is asinine anyway. My guess is that there are THAAD components around there somewhere, maybe even being quietly evaluated by the Japanese, and we wanted to keep the deployment under wraps for whatever reason (probably relating to the North Koreans). Somebody tells the story, and all of a sudden it’s a new ABM radar we put in Japan, nevermind that it is an engagement radar for an ATBM system.

Whatever happened to the DARPA involvement with the QSP program? Is the USAF still after a Mach 2.4 bomber, or will the “B-3” be more along the lines of a smaller B-2 (which is what a bigger X-47 would be, pretty much)?

The Russian S-500 concept incorporates an ASAT mission (as in designed from the get-go, not modified on the fly to respond to China 😀 ) and the new integrated concept also covers the air defense mission as well. I wrote up Samoderzhets on my blog a while back: http://geimint.blogspot.com/2007/08/samoderzhets-decloaked.html The idea is that the S-400 and S-500 will act as part of an overall, nationwide IADS which for the first time will feature a space defense capability as well. Previous ABM systems were pretty much stand-alone systems, that had nothing to do with the IADS. Look at Russia’s current system, it uses a dedicated network of radar systems and is not part of the IADS. The new network will basically take that ABM role and toss it over to the national IADS, which will be the first IADS to have the A stand for aerospace and not air.

RSM55, I believe that your fourth point basically outlines the future plans that were researched under Samoderzhets. The idea is to integrate everything using a common network for a truly integrated air and space defense force. Also, the S-500 program, from what I understand, is not a demonstrator but an active program for an in-service weapon system.

What business does Argentina have complaining about the Falklands expanding EASTWARD?

From what a friend said its basically 100’s for the system, 1000’s for the interims. The 1000’s series just referred to the various stages within implementing the overall system. I’ve only seen the 4000 number used to refer to 40n6.

Ok, well, he’s wrong. None of the Russian-language source material I have ever seen has anything close to that type of designation system, and I’ve researched the subject rather intensively for over a decade. I could always be wrong, but in this case I’m 99.99% sure that your friend is completely off base here.

48N6 is just the S-300PM series. The 9m96e-2 is not in sufficient numbers to replace the S-300PM-2 yet. But it realistically will replace most of the remaining S-300 models given its extreme portability and better design.

48N6DM is the mid-long range weapon for the S-400, and is the weapon which has been fired every time the system has been tested to date (that we know of). The 9M96D does not have the range to take the role. Relying on the 9M96 means you have degraded your air defense network. The 9M96D cannot even match the range of the 48N6D used by the S-300PM-2, nor the 48N6 used by the S-300PM-1. It does have a theoretically far more maneuverable airframe and would likely be used as the close-in weapon to defend against PGM drops, and may form the basis of a separate SAM system in and of itself.

The 9M96 will not replace the S-300PM-2 either, you’re confusing designators. The S-300PM-2 is the SAM system, and it uses 5V55 and 48N6 series interceptors, and is advertised as being compatible with the 9M96. The 9M96 could replace the 5V55 or the 48N6, but it cannot replace the actual system. That just doesn’t compute! How do you repalce a TEL or a radar with a missile?

From a logistics point of view the PM-2 and PM-3 systems are going to be too expensive in comparison by the time the S-400 system matures. Even though the 48N6DM has longer legs than the 9m96e family, it too will probably prove relatively to be too expensive to haul around in the field. Then again they may be utilizing 48N6DM for a defense against modern standoff bombs; if you cannot threaten the launching aircraft then you are doomed to lose the war of attrition.

By the time the S-400 matures it will be the most expensive of the three. Why should the 48N6DM be significantly more expensive than the 48N6 or 48N6D to “haul around”? These are sealed missile canisters, you can let the thing sit for 20 years and it’ll still work. Plus, “in the field”? The S-400 is a strategic-level SAM system designed to replace the S-300P family. It will be replacing S-300P batteries around Moscow initially, and they use fixed launch sites, most of which are sited on the grounds of former S-25 Berkut facilities. The S-400 isn’t going to be driving around the countryside unless it’s a field exercise. When operational, the system, like the S-300P, will use a prepared launch site. So again, commenting on carrying the 48N6DM around makes no sense at all.

The 40N6 was designed to move itself along at 100k feet altitude out to the target. Do you consider 100k of altitude exo-atmospheric?

100,000 feet is not exoatmospehric. Exoatmospheric is at the very least 80 kilometers up, or roughly 270,000 feet.

The problem is that we can’t arbitrarily ban someone for the way they argue, their logic, or anything else that isn’t in violation of the Code of Conduct. IMHO the issue of China’s aviation industry is valid as it does pertain directly to the topic at hand, the same goes for the Russia/J-10 thread.

To answer you directly from my POV, this will continue until we either 1) amend the CoC, or 2) people stop answering the kinds of questions that lead us down these roads (and yes I am aware that I have been a part of that problem before somebody wakes up to throw that in my face).

Falken, huh? Got XBox Live? 😀