Russian S-400 Air Defences Intercept Unprecedented ATACMS Attacks: Ukrainian Launchers Located and Destroyed

Russian Aerospace Forces S-400 long range air defence systems intercepted four ballistic missiles launched by Ukrainain Army units against the city of Voronezh, according to a report by Russian Defence Ministry officials. The missiles were launched from U.S.-supplied MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), as part of the first ever known strike on internationally recognised Russian territory using the systems. The expansion of ballistic missile attacks using these systems, which had long been opposed by Washington, was interpreted by analysts as part of efforts by countries across the Western world to press Russia to suspend hostilities on terms favourable to Western interests. S-400 systems have been used to intercept strikes by ATACMS on multiple occasions, although the U.S.-supplied missile systems have also achieved a number of successes in destroying components from S-400s.

Following the interception, debris from the downed missiles reportedly damaged the roofs of the Voronezh Regional Gerontology Center, an orphanage, and a private home, although causing no civilian casualties. The launch vehicles used to stage the attack were reportedly subsequently located in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region near the village of Voloskaya Balakleya, and destroyed using unknown assets. Beyond the provision of defence against ballistic missile attacks, S-400 systems have been combat tested extensively against a wide range of targets, including fighter aircraft and cruise missiles. In August it was confirmed that the systems were also being used to shoot down surface-to-air missiles from the American MIM-104 Patriot system launched by the Ukrainian Air Force. he surface-to-air missiles fired by the Patriot fly at only Mach 3.5 speeds, with some sources reporting maximum speeds of Mach 5, while missiles fired by the S-400 fly at speeds exceeding Mach 14, allowing them to comfortably engage the targets. 

The S-400 was first combat tested in February 2022 in the opening days of full scale hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, with the systems using their extreme engagement ranges to shoot down fighter aircraft deep inside hostile territory. Reports from late 2023 indicated that the system was making use of its unique 40N6 very long range surface-to-air missile to engage targets at low altitudes up to 400 kilometres away, which was achieved using over the horizon targeting data from A-50U airborne early warning and control systems. The S-400 saw its first combat use outside the Ukrainian theatre in May 2025, with Indian sources crediting air defence battalions with shooting down five or six Pakistani fighter jets and one large support aircraft. The ranges of the engagements confirmed the use of the 40N6 missiles to strike targets deep inside Pakistan’s airspace, with high levels of satisfaction with the system leading the Indian Defence Ministry to open talks to procure further battalions.