Russian MoD Announces Induction of S-500 Air Defense System

Russia’s new-generation S-500 Prometheus anti-aircraft systems are beginning to enter service with the Army, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov confirmed today.

“Today, systems that practically combine the functions of air defense and missile defense (air defense-missile defense) are already beginning to enter service - these are S-500 systems,” Borisov said at the New Knowledge marathon.

S-500 ‘Triumfator-Mor Prometheus’

S-500 Prometheus is a long-range air defense system can shoot down targets in near space. It will become the basis of a unified national air defense and missile defense system.

The S-500 is dubbed as Space Defense System (SDS) for its ability to destroy targets in low orbit space besides hypersonic missiles, medium-range ballistic missiles and ICBMs. It is developed by Almaz-Antey Corporation which also manufactures S-400 and S-300 systems.

The Prometheus S-500 is expected to have an extended range of up to 600 km (an improvement of 200km over the S-400). The radar range is also more than that of the S-400 and the system will have the potential to destroy hypersonic and ballistic targets with interceptors operating at an altitude higher than 185km.

Is the S-500 better than the Patriot? Click here.

In previous tests, the S-500 system is said to have hit target missiles from a range of 480 km, the longest-range strike by any ADS. According to unofficial information, the S-500s will have a response time of about 3-4 seconds, less than half of S-400’s 9-10 seconds.

The main missile with the S-500 is the 40N6 missile a 30-feet long, two-stage solid fuel missile capable of reaching speeds of 9 Mach having a blast-fragmentation warhead with a range of 310 miles and 95% accuracy. The Prometheus will use 2 new types of missiles: the 77N6-N and 77N6-N1, the first-ever Russian missiles with inert warheads, capable of destroying nuclear warheads by force of impact. The missiles will strike ballistic missiles at a height of 185 km considerably minimising the impact of their debris.

S-500 system is expected to use the 91N6A(M) battle management radar and 96L6-TsP target acquisition radar besides new 76T6 multimode engagement radars. The other components will be the launch vehicle and command posts.