The Soviet Monster S-200: Ukraine Reawakens Ghosts of the Past to Haunt Russia

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The war in Ukraine has showcased a remarkable level of military innovation and ingenuity. Despite the emergence of new weaponry, older systems continue to prove effective on the battlefield.

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Ukraine has successfully repurposed parts of its Soviet-era arsenal into modern combat beasts, demonstrating creative adaptability and underscoring the importance of localized defense capabilities in modern warfare.

A prime example is the Soviet S-200 missile system, known by NATO as the SA-5 “Gammon”—a long-range, high-altitude surface-to-air missile system developed during the Cold War, now experiencing a resurgence in the Ukraine conflict, according to The National Interest, quoting war correspondent David Axe.

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On his Telegram channel, Axe reported that the first confirmed S-200 strike, on July 9, 2023, likely hit an industrial facility in the Bryansk region of Russia.

A second confirmed strike occurred 17 days later, with a 5V28 missile crashing into Taganrog, a Russian Black Sea coastal city just 20 miles from the Ukrainian border and 100 miles from the frontline.

These strikes are a powerful example of how Ukraine is redefining military expectations for legacy weapons like the S-200, a system considered antiquated by modern standards.

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A Giant Reborn

The 5V28 missile, launched from a fixed launcher, weighs 8 tons and can carry a massive 500-pound warhead. Although its prime was in the 1960s, it has become more useful to Ukraine than many NATO-supplied alternatives, due to its familiarity and largely local supply chain.

Originally designed to take down B-52 Stratofortress bombers, the S-200 was intended to intercept large targets over long ranges and at altitudes higher than its predecessor, the S-75.

The system was not designed for mobility or rapid deployment. Instead, it was developed by the Soviets as a fixed or semi-fixed defense platform for strategic, high-value targets.

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It comprises multiple core components: missile batteries, several launchers, target acquisition and tracking radars, and a full command-and-control infrastructure.

Its main missile, the V-880 (or 5V21 in later versions), is a two-stage rocket equipped with a solid-fuel booster and a liquid-fuel sustainer.

Depending on the variant, it can hit targets at ranges between 93 and 186 miles, making it one of the longest-range SAMs of its time.

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It can also engage aerial targets at altitudes up to 131,000 feet, more than enough to reach any aircraft in operation.

The S-200 can reach speeds of up to Mach 4, allowing it to intercept high-speed threats. Its 500-pound high-explosive warhead, equipped with a proximity fuse, is highly lethal against airborne targets.

The system uses semi-active radar homing, relying on ground-based radars like the 5N62 (Square Pair) to illuminate targets. Fire control radars provide precise tracking, while early warning radars such as the P-14 (Tall King) help in target detection.

According to David Axe, the unexpected accuracy of Ukraine’s repurposed S-200s in a surface-to-surface role suggests that Kyiv’s engineers may have integrated more advanced targeting systems.

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