China has reached a deal to buy six of Russia's S-400 Triumf missile defense systems reportedly for more than $3 billion.

"The S-400 is definitely one of the top anti-aircraft weapons in the world. It will greatly supplement the People's Liberation Army's air defense system, which now has some loopholes in long-range, high-altitude defense of airplanes or ballistic missiles," Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine told China Daily.

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The deployment of the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system will substantially improve China's air defense capability, military experts said. The S-400 is an upgraded version of the S-300, which had previously only been available to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

"The system has multiple types of missiles with various ranges, enabling it to safeguard a very large area of airspace. Some of its missiles are even specifically designed to intercept ballistic missiles," Wang said. "Moreover, some of its launch tubes can store and launch several different missiles, which makes it very convenient and fast to use."

The S-400 is reportedly a concentration of some of the most advanced missile technologies Russia has, such as an active electronically scanned array radar, according to Wang.

"China still lacks experience in the development of long-range air defense systems, especially those that can intercept ballistic missiles," Wang added. "There is no shortcut because the development of such sophisticated weapons requires a great number of experiments and tests. It is a matter of time and resource input."

According to Russian media reports, the S-400 is a new-generation, anti-aircraft weapon system capable of taking out airplanes, helicopters, drones, and ballistic missiles at a top speed of 4.8 km per second. The system's 40N6 missile can destroy airborne targets at ranges up to 400 kilometers.

Anatoly Isaikin, CEO of Rosoboronexport, a state-owned Russian arms trader that sold China the S-400 air defense systems

"I will not disclose the details of the contract, but yes, China has indeed become the first buyer of this sophisticated Russian air defense system. It underlines once again the strategic level of our relations," Isaikin told the Russian newspaper Kommersant.

However, the Moscow Times reported that China closed the deal in September, and paid more than $3 billion for the delivery of at least six S-400 battalions.

China currently relies on its domestically developed HQ-9 and the Russian-made S-300 missile system, according to Western military observers, reports China Daily.

TagsChina Buys Advanced Missiles from Russia, S-400 surface-to-air missile system, Russian Ministry of Defense, Wang Ya'nan, Anatoly Isaikin, Rosoboronexport