An expert explained why S-400 missiles reach their target faster than the air-raid siren can be activated
Alexei Getman, a military analyst and veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, explained why air raid warnings in Ukraine are issued in advance when Russian Iskander missiles are launched, whereas in the case of S-400 missiles, the warning may be issued almost the moment they are approaching.
Speaking on ‘Novyny.LIVE’, he noted that the main difference lies in the flight path and speed of these missiles.
“The explanation is quite simple. The ‘Iskander’ is a purely ballistic missile; it climbs to a height of more than a hundred kilometres and then strikes its target almost vertically from above. This takes 7–8, up to 10 minutes. The S-400 flies at a relatively low altitude – about one kilometre, perhaps 10 at most. And the speed of this missile is approximately 2–2.5 kilometres per second. “Based on this, we can calculate that, given the distance from which they are launched, the flight time is around 2–3 minutes,” said Hetman.
According to him, Ukraine receives information about missile launches through space reconnaissance, in particular in cooperation with the US. When an ‘Iskander’ ballistic missile gains altitude, it is detected by satellites, after which a report of a high-speed target is received.
“When this missile enters the airspace, it takes 20–30 seconds before you can tell that it has been launched. Then there are another 20–30 seconds to react, by which time it has already travelled more than half the distance,” added the expert.
