Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf vs Lockheed Martin THAAD
Full specs: Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf Lockheed Martin THAAD
Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf and Lockheed Martin THAAD are both air defense system, compared here on public specifications. The Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf leads on engagement range (400 vs 200 km). Several Russia-origin figures here are manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification, so treat this comparison as directional.
Verdict
These two systems are not really built for the same fight. The S-400 is a broad, multi-layer surface-to-air umbrella, a family of interceptors (48N6, 9M96E/E2, 40N6E) meant to hold aircraft, cruise missiles and some ballistic threats at bay across a claimed 400km and up to 30,000m. THAAD is a dedicated upper-tier ballistic-missile interceptor, hit-to-kill only, no explosive warhead, reaching a published altitude ceiling of 150,000m, five times the S-400's, to catch warheads in their terminal descent, well above where most aircraft or cruise missiles ever fly. THAAD has a real, recent combat record: US batteries engaged medium-range ballistic missiles during the 2026 Iran war, part of the most intense missile-defense campaign fought to date, and the system's flight-test history is an unbroken string of successful intercepts. The S-400's outer-envelope figures remain Russian state claims, and several launchers and radars in occupied Crimea have been documented destroyed by Ukrainian strikes. On its narrow, specialized job, exo-atmospheric terminal defense, THAAD has a stronger, more independently verifiable case; the S-400 covers more kinds of threats at lower altitude, if its claimed range holds up.
Analysis by Cole Merrick, Defense-systems data columnist, WeaponSpecs · Last updated 2026-08-06
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Full data
Full spec sheet
| Performance | ||
| Max speed (Mach) (Mach) | 14 Mach ✓ | 8.24 Mach |
| Engagement range (km) | 400 km ✓ | 200 km |
| Engagement altitude (m) | 30,000 m | 150,000 m ✓ |
| Simultaneous targets | 36 ✓ | 24 |
| Firepower | ||
| Warhead (kg) | 180 kg | N/A |
| Sensors & avionics | ||
| Radar range (km) | 600 km | 1,000 km ✓ |
| Program | ||
| Unit cost (USD) | $500,000,000 ✓ | $1,000,000,000 |
| Operator countries | 4 | 5 ✓ |
Analysis
Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf vs Lockheed Martin THAAD: how they match up
Altitude ceiling: a five-times gap
The single biggest difference between these systems is not range, it is altitude. The S-400's published engagement ceiling is 30,000m, enough for high-flying aircraft and most cruise-missile profiles. THAAD reaches a published 150,000m, into the upper atmosphere and beyond, purpose-built to intercept ballistic-missile warheads during their terminal descent before they re-enter dense atmosphere. That is why THAAD carries no explosive warhead at all: at those closing speeds and altitudes, pure kinetic impact is the design, not a cost-saving compromise.
Interceptor families and guidance
The S-400 layers three interceptor types, the 9M96E/E2 for shorter-range work, the 48N6 for longer range, and the very-long-range 40N6E, most using semi-active radar homing guided by ground radar. THAAD fields a single interceptor type across its engagement envelope, relying on inertial guidance handed off to an infrared seeker for terminal homing, a simpler, more standardized approach built around one job done precisely rather than several jobs done broadly.
Radar reach
The S-400's 91N6E "Big Bird" acquisition radar is credited with a 600km detection range. THAAD's AN/TPY-2 X-band radar, commonly cited around 1,000km, is one of the most powerful mobile radars ever fielded and doubles as a forward-based sensor that can cue other missile-defense layers across an entire theater, a networking role the S-400's radar architecture was not designed around.
Cost, fielding, and real-world testing
A THAAD battery, radar and 48 ready interceptors across six launchers, costs roughly $1 billion and is fielded by 5 operators; an S-400 battalion set is estimated around $500 million, a Russian export figure, not an audited one, across 4 operators including China, India, and Turkey (whose 2019 purchase triggered US sanctions and removal from the F-35 program). The 2026 Iran war gave THAAD its hardest real test yet, and post-campaign debate has centered less on hit rate than on interceptor stockpiles running down faster than production could replace them. The S-400 has not faced a comparably documented large-scale ballistic-missile campaign; its most visible recent combat exposure has been as a target, not a shield, in Ukrainian strikes on Crimea.
Frequently asked questions
Is the S-400 or THAAD better? +
They solve different problems. THAAD is a specialized, independently combat-tested upper-tier ballistic-missile interceptor with a five-times-higher altitude ceiling; the S-400 is a broader air-defense umbrella against aircraft, cruise missiles and some ballistic threats, with outer-range figures that remain unverified Russian claims.
Why does THAAD fly so much higher than the S-400? +
THAAD is built specifically to catch ballistic-missile warheads during their terminal descent, at altitudes up to a published 150,000m, well above where the S-400's 30,000m envelope operates against aircraft and cruise missiles.
Has THAAD been used in real combat? +
Yes. US THAAD batteries engaged medium-range ballistic missiles during the 2026 Iran war alongside Patriot and Arrow, in what analysts have called the most intense missile-defense campaign fought to date.
Why did Turkey buying the S-400 anger NATO? +
The United States removed Turkey from the F-35 program and imposed sanctions after its 2019 S-400 purchase, over concerns a Russian system operating near NATO's most advanced stealth fighter could compromise the jet's signature data.
Which has the longer engagement range? +
The Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf has the longest engagement range at 400 km.
Which is cheaper? +
The Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf has the lower public unit-cost figure at 500,000,000 USD. Treat this as directional, defense pricing varies by contract and configuration.
Which has the higher max speed (mach)? +
The Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf has the higher max speed (mach) at 14 Mach.
Which has the higher simultaneous targets? +
The Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf has the higher simultaneous targets at 36.
Which has the higher engagement altitude? +
The Lockheed Martin THAAD has the higher engagement altitude at 150,000 m.
Which has the higher radar range? +
The Lockheed Martin THAAD has the higher radar range at 1,000 km.
Is the Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf better than the Lockheed Martin THAAD? +
On the public specs we track, the Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf leads on 4 of 6 headline metrics, see the full spec sheet for the metric-by-metric breakdown.
Where does this comparison data come from? +
Every figure in the table is sourced from public manufacturer pages, defense-ministry releases and reference publications, and is verifiable on each system's spec page. WeaponSpecs does not accept vendor placement.
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