Upgrade for the S-400? Belarus and Russia Sign New Agreements for Delivery of Advanced Air Defence Systems

The Belarusian Armed Forces signed an agreement with Russian defence manufacturer Almaz Antey on August 24th for the delivery of advanced air defence systems to the country over the next five years, with an announcement from the Belarusian Defence Ministry stating: “A plan of interaction with Almaz-Antey Group for 2021-2025 has been signed for the deliveries of advanced air defence systems through 2025.” Belarus is currently Russia’s closest defence partner in Europe and one of its closest worldwide, and while its ground warfare systems are largely either Soviet built or were built domestically, from APCs to T-72 tanks, its most capable aerial warfare systems have been sourced directly from Russia. Complementing domestically upgraded MiG-29 fighters inherited from the Soviet Union, and domestically developed variants of the BuK medium range air defence system, the most notable acquisitions from abroad for the purpose of air defence have been the Russian S-400 air defence system and more recently a dozen Su-30SM heavyweight fighter jets. 

It has been speculated that air defence systems scheduled for delivery are new missiles for the S-400 system - with Belarus being one of just four foreign operators of the system alongside China, Algeria and Turkey. This could include the new 40N6E hypersonic air to air missile, which has also been sold to China to equip its own S-400s, which increases their engagement range from 250km to 400km, impacts targets at Mach 14 speeds and has the unique ability to engage very low flying targets even near the limits of its range. Russia is reported to have provided the system under highly favourable terms, as a strong Belarusian air defence capability against possible Western attacks is beneficial for the country's own security, and the S-400 represents one of the most cost effective means of providing this. It is also possible that Russia is planning to deliver other complementary shorter ranged air defence systems such as the Pantsir-SM and Tor-M2 to strengthen the Belarusian defence network. Belarus is also set to receive new Mi-35M helicopters and BTR-82A armoured personnel carriers over the coming five years to modernise its ground forces. The country is seen as a leading potential client for Russia’s new MiG-35 medium weight fighter jets to provide a cheaper, lighter and more numerous counterpart to the Su-30SM fighters, with the MiGs in many ways being more sophisticated and highlighted as likely to eventually replace Belarus’ MiG-29s in frontline service.