Ukraine has carried out the biggest drone attack so far on the Russian capital Moscow. An oil refinery was also damaged in more than 200 drone attacks on Thursday and fires broke out at many places. One person died and 17 were injured in the attack. Russia says that 194 drones coming towards Moscow were shot down on the way by its air defense system. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, about 1,000 Ukrainian drones were intercepted across the country. Some of these drones were also dropped over the Sea of Azov.
After the attack, flights at all major airports in Moscow were stopped for some time due to security reasons. In the recent attacks on Moscow, Russia’s most modern and powerful air defense system S-400 proved to be a complete failure. Let us know the reason behind this failure
1. Radar blind spot
The S-400 system is primarily designed to shoot down high-flying fighters, bombers and large ballistic missiles. In contrast, the drones that attacked Moscow were flying very close to the ground and taking cover behind mountains or buildings. Due to the roundness of the Earth, radar cannot see objects below a certain distance, which is called ‘radar horizon’. Due to this blind spot, the drones escaped from the sight of the S-400 radar and reached very close to Moscow.
2. Use of saturation attack
Ukraine launched hundreds of drones simultaneously, which in military language is called saturation attack. Along with real drones, many fake drones were also included in this. When such a large number of targets appear on the radar screen simultaneously, the S-400’s computer and command post become overloaded. The system cannot decide which threat to target first, which limits its capabilities.
3. Lack of layered defense
The S-400 does not work alone. It requires the support of short-range air defense systems like Pantsir or Buk for its own protection. The S-400 intercepts long-range threats, while these smaller systems shoot down drones that come closer. This security network in Moscow could not coordinate properly and small drones broke this security cycle and entered inside.
4. Expensive missiles and supply chain crisis
Each interceptor missile of S-400 costs crores of rupees. Due to the ongoing war, Russia’s stock of these modern missiles is decreasing. Using the expensive S-400 missiles to kill cheap and small drones proved to be a loss-making deal.
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