MOSCOW, January 10. /TASS/. China has carried out a second successful test firing of the S-400 Triumf missile system purchased from Russia, wrapping up its trials, a military-diplomatic source told TASS on Thursday.
"The second test firing of the S-400 was carried out in December last year at a Chinese firing ground. The 48N6E missile fired by the system’s launcher hit an aerodynamic target [simulating an aircraft] flying at a speed of more than 600 meters per second," the source said.
The target was struck at a maximum range of around 250 km, the source added. "The S-400 trial program in China has been completed, no other test firings are being planned at the moment."
Earlier reports said that the first successful trials of the S-400 air defense missile system were carried out in China in early December 2018. The test firing was conducted against a ballistic target flying at a speed of 3 km/s. The target was also hit by a missile at a range of 250 km.
The source told TASS that after two trials the S-400’s combat effectiveness was given high marks by the Chinese Defense Ministry’s leadership. "We really saw that the S-400 system by its capabilities today is unparalleled in the world in its armament class," the source quoted one of representatives of China’s top brass as saying.
China has become the first buyer of the Russian S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems. Under the contract, Russia will deliver two regiment sets of S-400 air defense missile systems to China. In July, a source told TASS that a certificate of acceptance of the first S-400 regiment set had been signed and its delivery by sea had been completed in May 2018.
Russia’s S-400 Triumf is the latest long-and medium-range surface-to-air missile system that went into service in 2007. It is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, and can also be used against ground installations. The S-400 can engage targets at a distance of up to 400 km and at an altitude of up to 30 km under intensive enemy fire and electronic countermeasures.