Russian S-400 Triumf deployed at Syrian Hmeimim airbase amid tensions with Turkey TASS 42711153

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Russian S-400 Triumf deployed at Syrian Hmeimim airbase amid tensions with Turkey
The Russian S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) air defense missile system has gone on combat duty at the Hmeimim airbase in Syria, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Friday.
     
     
"In accordance with the decision of the Russian Armed Forces supreme commander-in-chief, the S-400 system has been moved and deployed at the Russian Hmeimim airbase in Syria and has already gone on combat duty to provide air defense for the area," Konashenkov said.

Russian Aerospace Force spokesman Colonel Igor Klimov said that the S-400 "is the advanced precision air defense missile system that exceeds its foreign analogs considerably."

"The S-400 air defense missile system has a casualty radius of 400 kilometers [248.5 miles]. The system can hit targets at an altitude of up to 30 kilometers [18.6 miles]. It can also fire on ground targets," Russian military and transport aircraft have moved the S-400 Triumf system from the Moscow Region to Syria during a day.

Russia made a decision to move S-400 air defense missile systems to the Hmeimim airbase in Syria where the Russian air task force had been deployed, after the Turkish Air Force downed the Russian Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name: Fencer) bomber on Tuesday.

One of the pilots was killed by gunfire from the ground and the other was rescued and taken to the Russian air base.

Ankara claims the Russian bomber violated the Turkish air space. However, the Russian Defense Ministry has said the Su-24M plane stayed exclusively over the Syrian territory and "there was no violation of the Turkish air space."

The S-400 air defense missile system fielded in 2007 has been operating abroad for the first time. It was reported earlier that the system would not remain in Syria and would be returned to Russia after the operation against terrorists completes.
     
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