Serial production of the latest S-500 (Prometheus) air defense system has begun, said Yan Novikov, general director of the Almaz-Antey aerospace defense concern, in an interview with National Defense magazine.
Novikov said the series production of the S-500 system uses the latest achievements of Russian science and technology. The S-500 combat capabilities significantly exceed the capabilities of previously created air defense systems and anti-aircraft missile systems and complexes. “The S-500 is capable of becoming the basis Russian aerospace defense system,” he said.
The director-general said that the S-500 would be delivered to the troops within the time frame specified by the state defense order.
The S-500 Prometheus, a new generation of surface-to-air anti-aircraft missile systems, is a universal long-range and high-altitude interception complex with an increased anti-missile defense capability. The radius of combat is about 600 kilometres.
State tests of the S-500 began in 2020. Then Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko said that the Russian military is expecting to receive the first S-500 air defense systems in 2021, and serial delivery will begin in another four years.