Do you still want an answer, or are you just tagging me to say hello
? I'll give my take regardless
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It's time to stop dumping on the Chinese. While not quite up to par with S-400, their alternative HQ-9 is rapidly becoming one heck of a potent threat:
Take everything good about S-400 and S-300 and add Chinese ingenuity, money and experience into it and you've got yourself a platform that straddles the line between S-300+ and S-400, and in some respects even outclasses the S-XXX series.
Of course astute observes will note China is also procuring the S-400 system. Why? To milk its secret dry and make sure their domestic system incorporates everything good about S-400 while correcting any issues it has.
Aster 30 is similar, but lacks the range of its Russian or Chinese counterparts:
Oh, but that doesn't mean it's not a capable system. While its longest ranged variants are restricted to around 20km vertical distance and 120km horizontal distance, they are capable of intercepting all classes of target (sans ICBM) including high performance aircraft and missiles, ballistic missiles with ranges greater then 1500km and its sensors are capable enough that low visibility platforms are lit up like a Christmas Tree.
That puts Aster in good company, on land or at sea, and puts it right in the conversation with Barak 8:
Even in its extended ranged version, Barak 8 does lack the vertical range and horizontal range of Aster, and it's slower, but very, very maneuverable.
The gold standard for all-aspect air defense is the Standard Missile 6:
With a horizontal range nearing 500km, a vertical range of 35km, and a powerful and combat proven sensor suite supporting it, it's the Standard for a reason. Able to drop aircraft, including low visibility platforms, ballistic missiles outside of the ICBM class, high performance anti-ship and cruise missiles:
And even ships - yup, just like SM-2, SM-6's activing homing allows it to be used as an anti-ship weapon - you're hard-pressed to find a more capable all-aspect system on the market today.
It can be land-launched too:
SM-3, Arrow 3, THAAD, they're all more capable anti-ballistic missile platforms then any of the above, but only at longer-ranges, hence why they are supported by short-ranged systems like PATRIOT-3 or SM-2. They have limited capability against aircraft and should not be seen all-aspect systems. They are purpose built anti-missile/ASAT weapons.
Just my thoughts and I'm by no means an expert on SAM systems, so take it for what you will
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