Iran’s S-400: What Happened to Air Defenses Built to Fight B-2 Bombers?

Key Points and Summary: Despite Iran reportedly taking delivery of advanced Russian S-400 air defense systems in August 2024, the batteries have been conspicuously ineffective during Israel’s recent massive air assault.

-The Israeli Air Force has flown with virtual impunity over Iran, striking key targets without any confirmed losses to the S-400, a system touted by Moscow as a world-beater.

Israel’s F-35I Adir Fighter. Image credit: Creative Commons

-This failure, following significant losses of S-400s and other advanced systems in Ukraine, is reportedly causing alarm in Moscow, with Russian military officials and commentators now openly questioning the reliability of their own air defense technology against sophisticated Western electronic warfare, stealth, and suppression capabilities.

What Happened With Russia’s “All-Powerful” S-400 in Iran?

L’aéroporte Le Bourget, Paris – America has hit Iran’s nuclear facilities with B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. And yet, Iran seemed to have a solution to this, courtesy of Russia. Experts ask: Where are the famous Russian-made Almaz-Antei S-400 air defense batteries? Should they not have been downing Israeli warplanes left and right by now and taking on those B-2 bombers?

The S-400 Mystery

In early August 2024, reports from US and Israel news outlets were that Iran had taken delivery of the S-400.

The system had been supposedly provided to Tehran per the special request of the Islamic Republic’s political and military leadership.

At the time, two Iranian officials, including an officer of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), confirmed that these deliveries were in process.

Adding to a growing body of evidence, just before these news reports, a Russian transport aircraft was seen landing at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport.

The plane was an Ilyushin Il-76TD operated by Gelix Airlines, an air cargo carrier known for being used by Moscow for military deliveries while fraudulently operating as a civilian cargo airline.

The introduction of this more advanced Russian system into Iran’s arsenal was, in the end, counterproductive.

It was a significant step in increasing the tensions with Israel, and it was interpreted as a sign that Iran was prepared to go on the offensive with an attack on the Jewish state.

S-300 v S-400

Going back 30 years, Iran acquiring the S-300 – the forerunner of the S-400 – was considered to be something of a red line for Israel, which consistently pressured Russia not to sell the system to Tehran.

Only 10 years ago, Israel was still adamant that Moscow must not supply this air defense technology to Iran.

Pilots with the 131st Bomb Wing conduct pre-flight checks in a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, June 6, 2024. The B-2 is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions anywhere on the globe through previously impenetrable defenses. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. John E. Hillier)

In the meantime, Iran has circumvented an attempt by Israel to embargo this sale by manufacturing its version of the S-300, designated the Bavar-373.

The latest and modernized version of the system extends its engagement envelope out to 300 km – a 50 per cent increase in range over the baseline S-300 system’s 200 km.

Tehran receiving the system showed that Moscow now would exercise little to no restraint in the hardware it supplies to the mullahs. The even more capable S-400 can engage targets at up to 400 km, which makes it, on paper, at least, a far more effective air defense system.

Some experts even think it could threaten stealth platforms like the B-2, however, this is disputed.

The S-300 and S-400 batteries also fire different models of missiles.  The S-300 is usually loaded 3with 5V55 and 48N6 series of missiles, which are reasonably effective against a variety of aerial threats.

In comparison, the S-400 fires an entirely new, more diversified set of rockets.  These include the 48N6, 9M96, and the long-range 40N6 missiles. This wider range of effectors makes the S-400 a system that can engage multiple categories of targets simultaneously, and at different ranges.

Why S-400 Has Not Been a Game-Changer

Given this specialization of the missile mix, conventional wisdom would dictate that the S-400s provided to Iran would have taken down at least some IAF aircraft in the recent strikes on Iran, particularly against those high-value military targets that were protected by these batteries.

But no such successful intercepts have taken place, and Russian military officials are reported to be alarmed over the non-performance of the system against Israel’s fleets of US-made fighter aircraft.

Some in Moscow’s military have attributed the losses of Russian air defense systems in Ukraine to non-symmetrical warfare.

Kyiv’s forces have been proficient at using drones and land attack munitions.

But the S-400 was supposed to be less vulnerable to traditional attacks by fighters with anti-radiation missiles – and it was also supposed to be able to take those fighters down.

There Is No More Reliability in Russia’s Air Defense

One of the leading Russian defense information news sites reports that Russian military leaders are now “openly questioning the reliability of their own systems,” due to the abysmal performance they are demonstrating in the Iran conflict.

“According to Russian-language military forums and unofficial commentary shared across pro-Kremlin channels, the Israeli operation has amplified existing doubts about Russia’s capacity to withstand a coordinated assault from a technologically advanced adversary such as NATO,” continues the same report.

B-2A, serial #88-0331, ‘Spirit of South Carolina’ of the 509th Bomb Wing, Air Force Global Strike Command, on the parking ramp at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, during a visit April 11, 2017. The B-2A ‘stealth bomber’ visited the base to allow hundreds of personnel who work in direct support of the aircraft program through continuous software upgrades to see it in person and better understand the aircrafts’ role in the nation’s defense. (U.S. Air Force photo/Greg L. Davis)

As one Russian commentator opined, “Everyone here understands this is exactly what would happen to Russia if any NATO country decided to act.”

Which means Russia would have just about no effective air defense at all – especially against a flock of F-35s.  This is ironic considering that for more than 50 years Russia claimed to be the world champions of surface-to-air weaponry – a proficiency that was demonstrated at times during the Vietnam conflict.

“Whatever competence and effectiveness Russian industry enjoyed in those times, it has been eclipsed by modern, western electronic warfare, stealth and the ability over to suppress enemy air defenses,” said a recently-retired senior USAF officer who spoke to National Security Journal.

The Russian military news site continues to elaborate, stating that “according to the independent monitoring group Oryx, Russia has lost at least 335 air defense systems since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.  These losses include 18 S-400 launchers, one S-350, over 30 Pantsir-S1 units, and nearly 60 Tor systems.”

“The figures are drawn from visually confirmed battlefield losses and are considered a conservative estimate.  While Russia has repeatedly touted the effectiveness of systems like the S-400 in deterring Western aircraft and missiles, combat experience in Ukraine has shown otherwise.”

Ditto for performance in Iran, one might say.

About the Author

Reuben F. Johnson is a survivor of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and is an Expert on Foreign Military Affairs and Director of the Asia Research Centre with the Fundacja im. Kazimierza Pułaskiego in Warsaw.  He has been a consultant to the Pentagon, several NATO governments and the Australian government in the fields of defense technology and weapon systems design.  Over the past 30 years he has resided in and reported from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Brazil, the People’s Republic of China and Australia.

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