American and Russian Air Defense and Weapon Systems

When we shift our focus from Turkey and look at the world, we can see the ongoing air defense projects of the US, Russia, China, Israel and Europe. Today, I will only talk about the systems of the US and Russia, while tomorrow I will discuss the air defense and weapon systems of China, Israel and Europe, and make a general assessment.

US Star Wars

In 1983, US President Ronald Reagan tried to allay fears of a possible nuclear attack by the Soviet Union with an idea that was considered outlandish. Originally called the Strategic Defense Initiative, but known as Star Wars, the idea was to destroy intercontinental ballistic missiles with laser beams controlled from space. 

Over 200 billion dollars have been spent in the intervening 40 years. A report published in February, when Russia's attack on Ukraine renewed fears of nuclear war, showed that this sum has not done as much good as it was thought.

The US-based American Physical Society (APS), one of the world's largest organizations of physicists, said that Washington's current capability to prevent a North Korean attack was inadequate and that "this is likely to remain the case for the next 15 years."

Turning the spotlight from Pyongyang, which is estimated to possess 20 nuclear warheads, to Moscow paints a darker picture. According to experts, US air defense systems would be virtually useless if Russia, with an estimated arsenal of 6,000 such warheads, attacked.

"The idea of an impenetrable shield against Russian missiles with massive arsenals is a fantasy," says Laura Grego of MIT's Nuclear Security and Policy Laboratory, who co-authored the report. It is very difficult to achieve," she said. 

The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) seems to agree. Official policy is to protect against nuclear missiles from "rogue states" such as North Korea and Iran. A superpower like Russia, on the other hand, is intimidated by the 5,400 nuclear warheads of the United States. In fact, the doctrine of mutually assured destruction (MAD), which envisages the total annihilation of each other by at least two sides, keeps both countries and the entire world on their toes.

"The United States relies on nuclear deterrence to counter the large and advanced intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities of Russia and China," the Pentagon's 2019 Missile Defense Review states. 

On September 11, 2001, after the attacks that shook the world, including the United States, one of the first things President George W. Bush did was to terminate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union. With the removal of the obstacles preventing the US from building a national missile defense system, work on this issue has increased.

The Pentagon opposes the report, claiming that the latest tests show that a North Korean attack can be thwarted (US Department of Defense) 

GMD 

In 2004, the program was launched with the deployment of 30 ground-based interceptor missiles (GMDs) in Alaska and California. The aim was to destroy enemy missiles outside the atmosphere through detection by radar and satellite sensors. Then in 2017, under Barack Obama, 14 more missiles were added to the Fort Greely base in Alaska. In 2019, the Donald Trump administration began the process of deploying 20 next-generation anti-missile systems by 2028. 

AEGIS

The US has other ballistic missile defense systems to protect smaller areas. The new system, which is both sea- and land-based and named after Aegis, the shield of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, differs from previous Aegis systems in that it allows navy ships and land-based launchers to target short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. 

One of the land-based Aegis has been deployed in Romania since 2016. The start of operation of the system in Poland has far exceeded the originally announced date of 2018, and according to the latest announcements, the completion of construction is likely to take until 2023. 

Washington claims that they are intended to protect Europe from a possible Iranian attack and pose no threat to Russia. Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, claims that these systems could also be used for offensive purposes.

The AAMDS system was to be installed in Romania but was postponed in Poland, citing budgetary reasons (NATO)

By the end of 2023, the US is planned to have 50 ships with ballistic missile defense systems.

Japan, which abandoned the land-based Aegis system in 2020 under pressure from its citizens, now wants to build two ships and use the ship-to-air missile launcher version of this system. The initial plan, which was canceled due to concerns that it could create security problems on the country's territory, was estimated to cost more than 4 billion dollars. For the two ships, scheduled to be commissioned in 2027 and 2028, $7 billion has been set aside. With dimensions of 210 by 40 meters, they will be the largest ships of the Japanese navy.

Japan, which already has the Aegis BMD system on 8 destroyers, has made this move in order to use these ships more effectively against other maritime conflicts.

THAAD

The Patriot and Territorial High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) systems are mobile surface-to-air systems. Like Aegis, the THAAD system is manufactured by the American company Lockheed Martin. Unlike Aegis, it destroys ballistic missiles in mid-air or in decline, rather than in ascent, and can also do so in the atmosphere. 

Washington has deployed THAAD in Hawaii, Guam, Romania, Israel, the UAE, South Korea and Japan. According to US officials, Turkey has had the AN/TPY-2 radar, which is part of the system, for 10 years.

In early 2022, it was announced that a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in Yemen at Abu Dhabi had been intercepted by the system purchased by the UAE. This was the first instance of the system operating successfully outside of exercises. 

Saudi Arabia is expected to receive the system in 2026 to 2028.

THAAD systems can work with trucks (Pentagon)

Patriot

The MIM-104F missile defense system in the PAC-3 (Patriot Advanced Capability) class is also one of the leading US systems. It can target altitudes lower than THAAD and can destroy short and medium-range missiles.

Patriot systems are widely deployed in many countries around the world. The countries that have reached agreements or have them, in order of purchase, are as follows:

Where the US has deployed missile defense systems (CSIS)

Many countries are using the legacy of the Soviet Union to create their own air defense systems (Russian Ministry of Defense)

There are also Patriot systems being circulated among Germany, the UAE, Bahrain, South Korea, Iraq, Japan, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan.

Although NATO allies had temporarily provided Turkey with these batteries, the failure of the United States to approve the sale was one of the reasons that prompted Ankara to buy the S-400. 

Russia

Having invested heavily in air defense systems during the Cold War, Russia, the successor to the Soviet Union, remains one of the most competent countries in this field. The Washington DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) outlines Moscow's air defense doctrine in three phases. These phases are aimed at creating very difficult zones for Russia to penetrate.

Long-range systems such as the S-200, S-300 and S-400 create air defense circles that can be 800 kilometers in diameter. 

These circles are planned to be reinforced by the 9K37 Buk and similar systems to consolidate medium-range defenses. 

The third stage includes short-range systems such as the 9K33 Osa and the S-125 Neva. These provide extra defense to key locations such as military bases. In the field, they are combined with mobile systems such as the 9K37 Buk to protect forces on the ground. 

Since the first and second defense systems can be ineffective against low-flying cruise missiles, they are usually protected by Tor (SA-15 Gauntlet) and Pantsyr-S1.1s, which provide point defense.  

Apart from Russia, the countries with Tor systems are Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Armenia, Cyprus, Iran, Egypt and Azerbaijan. 

Pantsir S-1s are available in the following countries.

Brazil, UAE, Algeria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, Libya, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Libya, Russia, Slovenia, Slovenia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, Vietnam

The S-400 system, which Turkey has also acquired, has a range of 250 to 400 kilometers and can shoot down aircraft and cruise missiles. To be anti-ballistic, the target must be within 60 kilometers of the ballistic missile.

Launched in 2007 in the capital Moscow, the system is currently protecting the country's airspace in Kaliningrad, a Russian territory in the center of Europe.

In 2015, it was deployed in the Tartus region of Syria to protect the Assad regime and Russian troops.

This system is also present in the Crimea region annexed from Ukraine.

In 2015, China and India reached an agreement with Moscow to purchase 6 and 5 batteries, respectively, in 2016. Along with Turkey and these two countries, only Belarus has reached final agreements on the system. 

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, Serbia have also expressed interest from time to time, but there has never been an official announcement of the final signatures.

The Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus received S-300s from Russia in 1997, which were installed on the Greek island of Crete in 1999 under pressure from Ankara and at the direction of the United States. The S-300s also have anti-ballistic capabilities but short range. 

Ankara has also said that the "Cretan model" for Turkey's use of the S-400 should be negotiated. When reminded that the S-300s in Crete are not constantly operational and are mostly kept in storage, Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar said, "There is no such thing that we will use them all the time. These systems are used according to the threat situation. We decide on that". 

In addition, many other countries such as Azerbaijan, Belarus, Algeria, China, Armenia, Iran, Egypt and Iran have S-300s. Bulgaria and Slovakia are NATO members, as is Greece.

However, the fact that the S-400s have more advanced technology and can provide Russia with the features of the F-35s being developed is causing discomfort in the US.

Russia also has the S-500 project. In 2018, Moscow announced that it had conducted the world's longest-range surface-to-air missile test, hitting a target 482 kilometers away. This system will increase the range and accuracy of its successor. In June 2021, Russian media suggested that it would be effective against hypersonic weapons.

China and Turkey are also reportedly interested in buying the S-500, which will be produced for export. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in 2019, "After the S-400, there is also the S-500. There will be a joint production in the S-500," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in 2019, adding that Ankara was also interested in this project.