Why the US isn't scared of Russia's S-400 

The S400 was hyped every bit as much as the rest of Russia's capabilities.

It's always best to assume the enemy's weapon is more capable than it actually is. Preparing for the absolute worst would allow us to curbstomp them if there actually was a conflict and their equipment doesn't live up to expectations.

$500 drone has entered the chat...

With Russian equipment, you need to talk about 2 versions... the version that is complete and properly maintained and crewed, and the version that is missing pieces and not maintained at all with horrible crews. While on paper its a somewhat scarry plane, the reality is far closer to the 2nd version. It doesn't matter how great it should be if its missing important parts, rusting, and run by crews that have no experience and lacking training.

A lot of these "Stealth is useless" arguments start with the assumption that the F-22 is flying at 30,000 feet in a straight line all by itself and has no countermeasures. Its just up there relying on nothing but stealth and good looks

I was expecting another robot-voiced defence industry video mill, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the video. I enjoyed learning about some of the technical details are how radar systems and stealth technology work. Great work!

Very informative. Your assessments on air power is great and best of all true. Thank you Alex

Alex, Thank you for your service.

No matter how good the system is it's only as good as its operators... and we've seen how good Russia has been training its forces in real time lately

As a retired f18 guy with a side specialty in EW I was impressed by the quality of your video and tactical discussion. Well done. I subscribed.

Extremely well done well-researched without bias Semper Fi

Just wanna say thanks sooo much for your service an your friend’s service as well

Not to mention the use of electronic countermeasures that give false radar returns to basically trick the enemy into wasting their missiles on aircraft that do not really exist would also render most of these counter-measures ineffective against an attack by the US.

Another issue that has arisen from Ukraine is the ability of Russia to operate their own fighters in conjunction with their IADs due to fratricide and deconfliction issues.

Nice video. On the CG shots showing the equipment on the ground, such as at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="702">11:42</a>, what was used to make these shots?

That is quality content! I realize I’m not an expert but ur presentation included a lot of information! Thanks

Also when you were talking about saturation attacks, the US could also use Bombers like the B2, which are hard to detect even with low band radar, and small diameter glide bombs; I think I heard that a b2 could theoretically carry 64 of these bombs which could over saturate even the largest s-400 battalions.

Alex ! First time seeing your material on RU-vid and I just wanted to send kudos your way! I sincerely appreciate the manner you cover the subject matter. I personally enjoy folks quoting credible resources. Not to mention the way you handle unavailable information. Honestly for me it genuinely validates your view point specially for a curious viewer on the subject matter. Nicely done!

Great stuff man

This is one of the only channels like this with good analysis. Nice work Alex!

As always, I love and look forward to your videos. I found out about your channel from watching Ward Carrol, as he mentioned you have interesting and accurate content without the BS or politics. Thank you!!!

An excellent analysis, Alex. Thanks !

Very good overview and helpful for my FDSA study.

Alex Hollings, Thank you for your service! Thank you for yet another well presented, educational and informative presentation which those without military experience can understand!

If Russians had a REAL stealth fighter maybe they would have air superiority in Ukraine by now. 🤣

Very good explanation.

Very detailed presentation, and excellent. I still don't quite understand why long wave radar would be better at detecting a stealth aircraft. I always thought the longer the radar wave, the larger the target must be to reliably detect. I'm an ex-submarine officer. Whenever we put the periscope up we would get an immediate indication of the EW environment. We didn't worry about long wave surface search radar because our periscope was small. We never wanted to hear a high repletion rate short wave radar!

Even though S-400 is capable it is not intended to be used against cruise missiles or small drones, since cost of interceptor would be much higher than that of target destroyed. This is a job of short and medium range systems like Pantsir or Tor which would normally protect S-400 site.

All us stealth fighters are equipped with radar hunting missiles for that one purpose 👌

Very informative video. I love it. Thanks for your great research. SEMPER FI!

As an RF/microwave engineer with experience across all those bands, on one hand i continue to be impressed with the advancements of stealth, countermeasures, counter-countermeasures, …. It really is AMAZING. But on the other hand i am so tired of seeing nations sacrifice all their money to the god of war while forgetting about their people. Man has become incredibly smart in terms of knowledge, yet so foolish and lacking any measurable wisdom as seen in politicians. What a paradox.

This is the only channel I have the bell icon clicked. Love your stuff ❤️

Mike Tyson : "Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the mouth"

Great video… well put together.. I definitely like this perspective… makes more sense…

Love how everyone is a military analist suddently

My question has always been...how can Russia claim that their air defense systems will dominate stealth aircraft WHEN THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY STEALTH AIRCRAFT TO TEST THE SYSTEMS AGAINST?!?! There is quite literally no way for Russia to have ANY IDEA if ANY of their systems will work against an F-35 or F-22 or B-2 or B-21. You can't just CLAIM that your junk "will have no problem tracking and shooting down F-35s" when you not only have never tested the system against one, but you don't even know what kind of capabilities the F-35 even has. And please spare me any BS about Russia's garbage Su-57. The Su-57's radar cross section is MASSIVE compared to the RCS of ANY of the US's stealth aircraft. There is absolutely no comparison. First of all, the IRST pod on the front of the Su-57 sticks out like a sore thumb on radar. Second, the panel gaps on a Su-57 are CAVERNOUS compared to ANY American stealth aircraft. Hell, even compared to a 40-year-old F-117. Third, whatever coating is on the surface of a Su-57, it is NOWHERE CLOSE to being as radar absorbent as the coatings on American stealth aircraft. I wouldn't be shocked to discover that the Su-57 is just painted with regular paint and has NO radar absorbing properties AT ALL. Fourth, I can say with absolute CERTAINTY that the Su-57's electronic warfare capabilities DO NOT EVEN COME CLOSE to those of an F-35 or F-22. So I ask again. How was Russia ever able to even spread these lies all over the western media when they CAN'T POSSIBLY KNOW whether or not ANY of their anti-aircraft systems can spot an American stealth fighter, let alone track and destroy one?! It's absolutely ludicrous.

"So underestimated." Yeah, right. Well see.

All you need is a swarm of drones, each with a missile that homes in on the S-400 radar. Only one drone needs to get through - bye-bye S-400. Drones are super-cheap when compared to the cost of a radar. Option 2 - a Tomahawk cruise missile. Option 3 - a "jammer drone" (or a small swarm of them) that jams the radar emissions. Lots of options!

Excellent assessment. I spent 10 yrs in the USMC as an ECMO in the EA-6A and B (Prowler) so I know what you're speaking of. Given the Russians performance against Ukraine for the past year, it's clear that their skill in integrated warfighting especially air defense is likely inadequate as well. As you pointed out, stealth, etc. are all components that have value. They perform best when integrated. The S-400 alone has value, but without tight integration with a larger integrated air defense system will be limited.

hey Alex thank you for your service

Excellent video! Very informative and accurate!

This was excellent. Thank you.

The only stealth fighter that was lost was due to zero EW jamming, same flight route and poor planning. The S-400 might be up to the task head to head but the 22 and 35 will never be alone.

Another excellent breakdown as usual, Alex! Thanks for your hard work!

No one knows how good it really is.

Came here expecting a rah-rah USA USA type video, left with a head full of info about radar math. Thank you, Sandboxx. Well done!

As you stated at the end, it all comes down to mission planning by whoever flies over. Finding routes between coverage, jamming, etc. And if we look back at the Iraqi invasion, flooding the air with cannon fodder drones ahead of the actual air force.

Alex. Knowing that our armed forces has intelligent, well informed personnel like you makes me sleep better at night. Your videos are always well researched and give in depth treatment of a subject. It contrasts with some of the more hysterical and sensational channels. Thanks for your hard work. I am so glad I subscribed.

Looking at the buttons and control of this S-400 it seems to operate in manual mode no digital screens are seen. How can you see the enemies if you are starring blankly only at buttons and knobs?

So Russia is basically “if you can’t make it, fake it”. 😂😂

S400 manned with top tier crew would be very formidable, but Russia has shown over the last 6 months that that is highly unlikely. Conversely, during the war in Kosovo it was demonstrated that a highly capable crew could operate to dangerous effect even with older equipment

That B21 is the most beautiful piece of machinery I've ever seen. The F22 is not far behind. How ironic that such effective killing machines are so aesthetically pleasing.

I appreciate you disclaimer about cross section talk needing to be taken with a grain of salt. I wish more people would give such disclaimers. I like when people can acknowledge that they don't have all the facts.

F-35 Block 4 is fighter, EW, AWACS, SigInt and datahub plane all in one

Great video as always. One thing though I've heard from other experts is the performance of Ukraines AD systems despite not having a complex IADS. Its reported by RUSI experts that BUKs OSAs, SPAAGs like Shilka, Tunguska that are not operating within an IADS have also kept the Russian Airforce out of the fight. So the US should look deeper into whether its current systems would be able to destroy or supress AD systems operating in a similar manner

"Hypersonic" and "manueverable" are an oxymoron. The reason is that the faster an object is, the greater the energy needed to deviate it from its vector. That is, a hypersonic missile may very well be "hypersonic" at launch, but as it attempts to manuever, it has two options (combined the two could make a hybrid third "option"). Those are control surface guided maneuvering, the same as normal aircraft use, or vector thrusters, which turn the nose into a different vector. The gotcha in that is that any change in that vector loses energy in the initial direction of the vector. That means that to maintain the hypersonic speed, the rocket has to have an adequate energy reserves to maintain the axial hypersonic speed regardless of vector changes. Worse, higher speeds demand wider turning radius, and the greater the speed the wider that radius will be. That means that the hypersonic missile is potentially more vulnerable to interception than slower, more maneuverable missiles might be.

Never mind the missle syst.Thank you for your service to a FREE and grateful nation.

Rule #1 in War… Never Underestimate your enemies….

Much love for your content❤❤ from #ZAMBIA

Not a military guy. But I think the Ukraine has showed us the value of well trained and dedicated personnel. Hi tech superior weapons arent very useful without them.

Great stuff thank you for your service to our country 🇺🇲

I took a drink every time Alex used the term 'leverages', now I can't find my feet.

Nice work!

Alex: as usual very objective and unbiased report on the S-400. Can you make a segment on the HARM delivered to 🇺🇦, is it true? How are they attaching those onto their aircraft? How you think they are using it ? Can they be delivered from the ground? Hope more viewers are interested on this subject!

On a more serious note I would be interested in videos on rotary wing aircraft

Great vid. Gotta love the systems. And … it’s AALLLLL about systems. Good one cat. Thanks!

TL;DR for "stealth cracking": They can detect at relatively longer range, but margin of error is large, and it can't track until very close range. LazerPig made a great video on this

I am surprised there was no mention of systems such as the U.S. Compass Call platform which can disrupt the ability for any IADS to properly function even if they set it up. Great video, thanks for going deeper into the subject and not using a robotic voice for narration.

Great explanation of these defense systems, for those of us who aspire to be military personnel and just didn't get to do it for one reason or other, and have so much gratitude for those of you who did. These types of videos keep us in the know and keep us excited about what and were we are as a nation or nations who stand for freedom.

We've been preparing for what the enemy *_SAID_* they have, but in reality oversold the shit out of it every time... We have no reason to be afraid of anything at this point...

*RECENTLY, SEPTEMBER OF 2023, A RUSSIAN S-400 WAS DESTROYED WHILE A DRONE LITERALLY HOVERED ABOVE IT TO RECORD THE STRIKE. S400 IS WAY OVERHYPED.*

To those who question intercepting the GMLRS rockets launched from HIMARS and M-270's. GMLRS travel at mach 2.5. Around 1/2 mile per second to a max target range of 57 miles. Or in the air for about 114 seconds max. That is how much time an air defense battery has to detect, determine friend/foe, target it and have your defensive rocket intercept it. Unless you're in the exact right spot, it's likely the GMLRS will already hit its target before you can intercept it. GMLRS cost about $150k each. Regular rockets are relatively cheap. So even if you're in the right location, it's easy to overwhelm an air defense system. Simply launch a barrage of MLRS along with the GMLRS. The S-x00 air defense batteries usually contains 8 launch systems with 4 rockets each. (total 32) They are not cheap.

It’s all about SAM engagement zones and being able to fly between the gaps. Then deploying stand-off weapons (even SDBs), decoys and drones supplemented by ECM just outside the edge of the engagement zones. Also the phrase “integrated air defence” is important as the S400 needs to be defended against low level threats with systems like the BUK and Pantsir.

My 2009 Mercedes S400 is more reliable

You rock my dude 🫡🇺🇸

one thing to remember is that no air defense system can reliably protect the whole area in its max theoretical range. That includes patriots. Especially not when the integrated air defense network is hampered by communication problems and covering contested air space full of your own planes. Various reports from Ukraine have described constant issues with friendly fire, with Russian forces both shooting down their own planes and bombing their own ground forces by mistake.

Has Russia ever built any equipment that performed anywhere near its reported or expected capability?

👍🏻👍🏻😎 great work

Just that the "air defence from the ground with rockets" outlived itself.

Basically, the F-35 without jamming support can drop a JDAM on an S-400's radar from about the same distance that the S-400 can track the F-35. I will admit, that is not a mission profile I would want to fly - but it does mean that if the launchers are dispersed, the launchers are vulnerable to even just a gravity bomb. Of course, the F-35 would probably use anti-ER or other standoff weapons vs something nasty like the S-400, not a gravity bomb... So the S-400's low frequency radar's best use for the operators is knowing when to pack up and run - if you have a target on the low frequency set that you can't acquire with the tracking radar, then it's time to shutdown, relocate, and maybe try to get online again and get some shots off (and move again!) before the strike package is gone.

It comes down to tactics. An f35 flying Willy nilly high in the sky will probably be taken out, but one piloted by a man with a plan will surely beat the s-400

I just appreciate that this video was narrated by a human and not some cheesy computer generated voice 👍

Someone tell the folks at the Rand Corp that a drone with a missile works too!!

Great video. Any weapon underestimated is potentially very dangerous. There are so many factors that can determine its efficacy. The fact of the matter is, a TON of intelligence is going to go into any potential strike in a region where anti-aircraft systems are deployed. The US, and NATO as a whole, will likely know where most, if not all of Russia’s S-400s are in a given region chosen for a strike. Thus, a battle plan will be determined. F-35s and B-21s should be able to effectively navigate and come up with a flight plan that will limit their exposure to those systems and allow them to target them from a safe distance. At any rate, Israeli F-35s have been reported to have flown directly over S-300 and S-400 systems in Syria and were not detected. It’s also possible that not all of the F-35s stealth and anti-detection capabilities have been made public, and it’s also possible that the S-400s abilities are over-exaggerated.

Thanks for this rare facts video. Others never mention how incredibily short range the "stealth detecting" waves are, particularly X-Band Transmissions. AWACs have massive ranges due to higher altitude and LOW band frequencies that can't see smaller (Stealth) objects.

Great stuff, respect to you Alex 💪

"Sorry, we didn't know it was invisible."

It's one thing to lock up a stealth aircraft it's another to keep the intercept when it goes defensive

You don't really need F-35s, you need EA-18g Growlers to knock out or Jam the Radars. AGM-88s , or standoff weapons with larger standoff distances.

Why? Because of Russian/USSR culture. Pissed off under paid hungry workers are not what you want building your war machinery.

Yep. We are not scared but we never want to go closer to it.

This video concentrates on US aircraft. But we keep seeing the S-400 getting taken out by 30-year-old ATACMS in Ukraine. Any analysis on why this is the case?

Most people have little understanding about Air Defence system and thus, easily fall for the hype of S-400 parroted by the bots. They fall for paper performance without realizing its real world implication. The S-400 became operational in 2007 and glorified for its 400 km engagement range - little do many realize that the SAM (40N6) with 380 km range didn’t become operational until very recently. They’re also unaware of the type of target(s) 40N6 is designed to engage. For nearly a decade, Russian outlets claimed 40N6 having Mach 14 speed with ‘anti-satellite’ capability - only when the missile went operational a year ago, the manufacturer’s data pointed a complete different reality - Mach 3.5 speed with smaller engagement altitude than PAC-3 MSE against ballistic missiles. And it’s designed specifically for non-maneuverable targets (AWACS, Bombers, UAVs, etc.) and not ideal for tactical Fighters. Against Fighter aircraft, S-400’s range actually shrink to a maximum of 200-250 km with 48N6E variants. This is not much different than the so-called "inferior" Patriot. For decades, outlets highlighted everytime Patriot failed, while ignoring its successes. In 4 years, Patriot in Saudi Arabia intercepted over 230 ballistic missiles - that’s more than 1 intercept every week. How many ballistic missiles or anything did S-400 intercept in last 15 years of service? Zero. People talk about Patriot’s failure in recent attack on Abqaiq oil refinery in Saudi Arabia, how it failed to intercept Iranian drones while overlooking S-400’s performance in Syria. The S-400 had been deployed in Russia’s Khmeimim air base in Syria since 2015 and that particular air base faced multiple drone attacks over last 3 years. There has been multiple failure to defend the air base against drone attacks, some resulting in Russian aircraft being damaged and personnel killed - yet the S-400 was never used to engage any UAVs despite repeated failure of point defence systems. These also highlighted serious flaws in Pantsir S1 - a system designed specifically to deal with such threats and Russian analysts reporting those flaws were forced to remove their posts. The US fielded PAC-3 with hit-to-kill warhead in 2000 as kinetic warheads are much more effective against hypersonic targets. Russia still relies on conventional fragmentation warhead and there’s no indication of it getting kinetic warhead anytime soon. At the same time people don’t look at Aegis platforms, which is the US equivalent of Strategic Air Defence system. The S-400’s pesa primary Search radar 91N6E is capable of detecting a 0.4 m2 ballistic target from 250 km. The Aegis’s now obsolete and non-AESA SPY-1D(v) reportedly “can track golf ball-sized targets at ranges in excess of 165 km.” Golf ball = 0.0025 m2. For a direct comparison, if you scale SPY-1D’s range to 0.4 m2, then it corresponds to 587 km - that’s more than twice the range of S-400 (91N6E). Unlike S-400’s overhyped 40N6, the SM-6 on Aegis with 260 km+ range can engage almost any endo-atmospheric target from sea-skimming cruise missiles, tactical aircraft to manoeuvrable ballistic missiles in their terminal stage. There’s nothing comparable to SM-3 in Russian service, the most tested exo-atmospheric interceptor with a range of 2,500 km. The Aegis BMD system have demonstrated its ability to engage targets over the horizon using targeting data coming from airborne platforms as part of Cooperative Engagement (NIFC-CA). SM-6 have engaged cruise missiles solely relying on targeting data from F-35 or E-2D. When was the last time you heard S-400 doing something like this?

Very interesting video regarding the S-400, buttom line I gather respect the system and the enemy's capabilities and level of years experience regardless. I recall how the first F117 was shot down.

Great info brother Very fair analogy

S400 the friendly fire specialist.

I think it’s far better to overestimate systems with potential to be used in combat against us and set that as the bar to work against than hope they won’t hold up against us in battle. Tanks, S-400, planes, etc. Diplomacy is far more likely to win out when we remain prepared for the worst.

How much worse will s400 be with active jamming in addition to stealth?

Apparently it is also an ASAT although Drones seem to get at it like a swarm of Bees.

Pretty nice and big targets for an anti-radiation missile...