S-400 vs Patriot: Range, Missiles and Roles Compared

Short answer: In the S-400 vs Patriot comparison, Russia’s S-400 is a long-range air defense system whose radars reach up to about 400 kilometers (250 miles), while the U.S. Army’s Patriot is a mobile system “primarily designed for point defense,” protecting a specific base or city against aircraft, drones, cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles. Patriot has a long combat record, dating to its first interception of an Iraqi Scud in January 1991. The S-400 is best known in Washington for the crisis it caused with Turkey, which was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after buying it.

Last updated: October 27, 2026

S-400 vs Patriot: the core difference

The two systems are often compared as rivals, but they were designed around different jobs.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) report Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS) and Military Ranges calls the S-400 (NATO name SA-21 Growler) “one of the most challenging foreign IADS capabilities that U.S. forces may encounter.” It “uses radars with ranges of up to 400 kilometers (~250 miles), paired with missiles that can reach similar distances.” In other words, the S-400 is built to keep aircraft far away from a large area.

The CRS report U.S. Army’s Patriot Air and Missile Defense System, dated August 27, 2026, describes Patriot as a “ground-based mobile system designed to detect, track, and engage aircraft, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles, and short-range or tactical ballistic missiles.” Its strength is defending a specific site and knocking down incoming missiles.

Side-by-side comparison

Russia’s manufacturer pages for the S-400 could not be opened from our servers, so the S-400 column uses U.S. government analysis only.

Feature	S-400 (Russia)	Patriot (USA)
NATO / full name	SA-21 Growler	Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target
Main role	Long-range anti-aircraft and ballistic missile defense	Point defense against aircraft, drones, cruise and short-range ballistic missiles
Radar range	Up to 400 km (~250 miles)	Over 100 km
Missile reach	Similar to radar range, per CRS	Not given in CRS report
Targets tracked	Not given in our sources	More than 100
Launcher load	Not given in our sources	4 to 16 interceptors, depending on missile
Main interceptors	Not given in our sources	PAC-2 GEM (blast-fragmentation) and PAC-3 MSE (hit-to-kill)
Makers	Not given in our sources	RTX (prime contractor); Lockheed Martin (PAC-3 MSE)
First fielded	Not given in our sources	First battalion activated May 1982
U.S. Army force	—	15 active battalions, 3 more planned

How Patriot works

CRS breaks Patriot into four parts: a radar set, an engagement control station (ECS), missile launchers and the missiles themselves.

The AN/MPQ-53/65 radar “can detect, track, and prioritize more than 100 potential targets and has a range of over 100 kilometers.” The ECS is “the only crewed element of a Patriot unit,” typically run by three operators. Each launcher “can be ready to fire a missile in less than 9 seconds” and can sit apart from the radar.

Patriot has a semiautomatic mode, in which a human makes the final “go/no go decision,” and an automatic mode. CRS says the automatic mode “is no longer used by the Army because of past fratricide (friendly fire) incidents.”

The system is meant to work in layers. CRS quotes the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance as saying Patriot can work with systems such as THAAD “to form a multi-tier, integrated, overlapping defense.”

Patriot’s missiles

Patriot fires the MIM-104 family of missiles, which has 12 main variants. CRS, citing the defense analysis firm Janes, splits them into two groups:

PAC-1, PAC-2 and PAC-2 GEM: older missiles that use a “blast/fragmentation principle,” mainly against aircraft and cruise missiles.
PAC-3 and PAC-3 MSE: smaller missiles “designed specifically for engaging ballistic missiles.”

The Army is buying the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE), made by Lockheed Martin, described as “a high velocity hit-to-kill” missile. Hit-to-kill means it destroys a target by striking it directly. For more on production, see our report on Patriot PAC-3 interceptor production. The Navy also plans to put PAC-3 MSE on some Aegis destroyers, with initial operational capability expected in 2028.

What the S-400 is designed to do

CRS places the S-400 inside Russia’s wider network of air defenses, which it calls anti-access/area denial (A2/AD). Such systems, CRS says, increase “the distance from which U.S. forces must operate to avoid detection and potential harm.”

A separate CRS report, Russian Armed Forces: Military Modernization and Reforms, describes the S-400 as Russia’s long-range anti-aircraft and ballistic air defense system, alongside the medium-range S-350 and the short-range Pantsir. It adds that Russia is testing a new-generation S-500.

Range is the S-400’s headline number. A 400-kilometer radar can see aircraft long before they reach a Patriot-style point defense. That reach puts the aircraft that carry out strikes at risk, not only the missiles, which helps explain why CRS ranks it among the most challenging systems U.S. forces may face. The difference between ballistic and cruise threats is explained in our guide to ballistic vs cruise missiles.

The Turkey S-400 dispute

The S-400 became a NATO political issue when Turkey, a NATO member, bought it. CRS report Turkey: Background and U.S. Relations says that “in response to the beginning of S-400 deliveries to Turkey,” the administration announced in July 2019 “that it was removing Turkey from participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.”

Then-Under Secretary of Defense Ellen Lord explained the decision: “Turkey cannot field a Russian intelligence collection platform [within the S-400 system] in proximity to where the F-35 program makes, repairs and houses the F-35.”

Who uses Patriot?

CRS lists governments notified for Patriot foreign military sales or reported to have bought it earlier, including Bahrain, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

Demand has outrun supply. CRS reports that Denmark canceled a Patriot request in September 2025 and chose the French-Italian SAMP/T, “in part because of shorter delivery times.”

Which is better, S-400 or Patriot?

They answer different questions. On published range, the S-400 reaches farther. On public evidence, Patriot is better documented and combat-proven against ballistic missiles. A fair comparison also depends on networks: both are meant to fight as part of layered defenses rather than alone.

Peter’s World’s view

Analysis: Peter’s World’s assessment, based on the sources above.

The S-400 vs Patriot debate is less about which system wins a duel and more about what each country is buying. The S-400 is an area-denial tool. Patriot is a shield for specific sites that has become one of the most requested U.S. weapons. The Turkey case shows the S-400’s biggest effect on the West so far has been political, not military.

Frequently asked questions

What is the range of the S-400?

About 250 miles for its radars, with missiles of similar reach, according to CRS.

What does Patriot stand for?

Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target.

How many Patriot battalions does the U.S. Army have?

CRS reports 15 active battalions, with three more planned, one each year from FY2029 to FY2031.

Why was Turkey removed from the F-35 program?

The United States removed Turkey in July 2019 after it began taking delivery of the Russian S-400.

Can Patriot shoot down ballistic missiles?

Yes. CRS says PAC-3 missiles are designed specifically for engaging ballistic missiles, and Patriot first destroyed an Iraqi Scud in January 1991.

Who makes the Patriot system?

RTX, formerly Raytheon, is the prime contractor. Lockheed Martin makes the PAC-3 MSE interceptor.

This article was written by Peter with AI assistance and checked against the sources linked. See our AI use disclosure.

Sources

Additional sources

Peter’s World reference guides

S-400 vs Patriot: How Russia’s and America’s Air Defenses Compare