China completes trials of Russian S-400 air defense missile system

China has completed initial firing and mobility trials of Russian-made S-400 air-defense missile system, a military-diplomatic source said 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.

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.