Russia’s new S500 Prometey (“Prometheus”) air defense system is state-of-the-art, and Russia has made bold statements about its performance. For example, General Major Sergei Babakov, commander of the Air Force defense troops, said that “the S-500 is capable of destroying all hypersonic weapons, in addition to the ballistic targets” of the enemy.
Russia is preparing to put into service the new S-500 air defense system, and the army will receive the first such weapons by the end of 2021. The Russian officer said that “all tests have been completed,” he said.
The system targets at a distance of 480 kilometers, according to Defense World.
According to the Russian press, the new S-500 system is unmatched worldwide, being the first in a new class of space defense weapons. It would be able to destroy 5th-generation planes, low-orbit satellites, and hypersonic weapons. The statements of those involved in the project were highly laudatory to Prometheus.
“The S-500 is a blow to American prestige. Our system neutralizes American offensive weapons and surpasses all of America’s anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems,” said Pavel Sozinov, chief engineer at Almaz-Antey, the company that developed it.
The S-500 is expected to have a range of up to 600 kilometers and a response time of 3-4 seconds. The altitude of a target in sight can be up to 180-200 kilometers, the detection of targets can reach a distance of 3,000 kilometers, and the number of targets engaged simultaneously can be up to 10.
Currently, Russia’s major concern is to deal with the 5th-generation stealth aircraft of the United States, produced by Lockheed Martin, F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor. Indeed, the new S-500 system has been called by the Moscow press as the “killer of American aircraft.”
Title image: Russian S-500 air defense system at a Moscow military parade. (source: China News)
