Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the deployment of an S-400 air defense system at the Russian airbase in Hmeimim in Lattakia, the Kremlin announced on Wednesday.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the president approved the Russian Defense Ministry’s proposal to deploy the S-400, Russia’s most advanced anti-aircraft defense system.
Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a Defense Ministry meeting that the S-400 would be deployed in Hmeimim airbase after a Russian Su-24 aircraft was downed Tuesday by an air-to-air missile launched from a Turkish F-16 fighter jet while returning from an anti-terrorist mission in the northern countryside of Lattakia.
The S-400 is employed to ensure air defense using long and medium-range missiles for aerial targets at ranges up to 400 kilometers. The S-400 is capable of striking tactical and strategic aircrafts as well as ballistic and cruise missiles. The system includes a set of radars, missile launchers and command posts, and will be operated solely by the Russian military.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
