China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is said to have conducted an exercise entailing the use of a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) to simulate strikes against various targets, including the Russian S-400 air defense system.
The video, reportedly published on July 8th by the PLA’s Western Theater Command, showed the PLA’s PHL-191 long-range multiple launch rocket system firing 370 mm guided rockets against a range of targets. One sequence featured what appeared to be a mock-up of the 92N6E fire-control radar used by the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system.
A Chinese military commentator writing on NetEase’s content platform argued that the appearance of the radar target was significant because the 92N6E is the S-400 battery’s primary engagement radar. Disabling it would severely degrade the system’s ability to detect, track, and engage incoming threats, even if launch vehicles remained intact.
The video also showed a sheep tethered near the target, which the articles in the Chinese media have interpreted as an indication that the exercise was designed to assess the effectiveness of an airburst munition against both hardened military equipment and nearby soft targets. The PLA has not publicly explained the purpose of the scene.
While China has not identified any country as the focus of the exercise, India is the most likely reference because it is the only neighboring country operating the Russian-made S-400 that the PLA troops would realistically train to counter in a potential conflict.
India signed a US$ 5.4 billion contract with Russia in 2018 to acquire five S-400 regimental systems. Four of them have already been delivered, while the fifth one is expected later this year.
Earlier this year, India approved US$ 25 billion in proposals for five additional S-400 air defense systems, as well as transport aircraft and remotely piloted strike aircraft. However, deliveries of the additional S-400 systems could face delays as Russia’s defense industry prioritizes replenishing military equipment lost in the war in Ukraine.
The aforementioned Chinese commentator, who goes by the name ‘Blue Star Musings’ or ‘蓝星杂谈’, drew comparisons with the conflict in Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces have repeatedly claimed successful strikes against Russian S-400 batteries using U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket artillery. The articles argued that those incidents demonstrate the vulnerability of sophisticated air-defense systems to long-range precision strikes.
Per the reports, the PHL-191’s 370 mm guided rockets have a maximum range of about 300 kilometers and are available in precision-guided variants. The launcher can also fire a 750 mm tactical ballistic missile with a reported range of up to 500 kilometers, expanding its ability to engage high-value targets at longer distances.
The Chinese commentator further cited Pakistan’s claim that its JF-17 fighter successfully struck an Indian S-400 battery with a CM-400AKG air-to-surface missile during last year’s India-Pakistan conflict. They also referenced remarks by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić earlier this year, which they said supported Pakistan’s assertion. Neither claim has been independently verified.
The author estimated that an S-400 battalion carries up to 48 interceptor missiles, while a single PHL-191 launcher can carry eight 370 mm rockets. Even assuming every interceptor successfully destroys an incoming rocket, the author argued that the system’s missile inventory could be rapidly depleted.
Because modern air-defense doctrine often calls for firing two interceptors at a single high-priority target to improve the probability of interception, the Chinese commentator suggested that a coordinated salvo from four PHL-191 launchers could have a significant chance of overwhelming a single S-400 battalion.
According to an Indian defense analyst, Rohit Vats, the footage released by the PLA offers insight into the types of threats that advanced air-defense systems such as the S-400 could face in a potential conflict with China.
He said the combination of long-range rockets and improving precision poses a different challenge than stand-alone precision-guided missiles.
Mr. Vats also cited Pakistan’s use of CM-400AKG missile in a failed strike targeting an Indian S-400 battery during last year’s India-Pakistan conflict, explaining that the strike failed because the system’s radars were deployed in a dispersed configuration and had been repositioned from their original locations.
He then further explained that a massed rocket salvo like the one depicted in the footage released by the PLA could instead threaten a broader target area, reducing the effectiveness of such a dispersed configuration.
“A salvo of these rockets will cause damage to anything within a certain kill-box. This negates the distributed deployment to an extent. And the Chinese don’t need absolute, silver bullet type accuracy – they need to get the kill box correct,” said Mr. Vats in a post on X.
Velina Tchakarova, a geopolitical strategist and a founder of the geopolitical consulting platform, FACE (For A Conscious Experience), argues that the PLA footage should be viewed as strategic signalling.
In her view, the footage is intended to demonstrate that China has been rehearsing the suppression of India’s S-400 air defense system in the event of a conflict.
Tanmay Kadam is a geopolitical observer based in India. He has experience working as a Defence and International Affairs journalist for EurAsian Times. He can be contacted at tanmaykadam700@gmail.com.
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