In other words, no unauthorized persons will be able to listen to S-500 communications or disrupt them. This will be a significant upgrade to the cutting-edge complex in an age when concealment and resistance to jamming are key features for air defense systems.
"The United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation (UIMC) is working on sixth-generation radio communications systems for military hardware, including surface-to-air missile systems that are already in service or still in development," the company's representative told Gazeta.ru news site, adding that the S-500 is one of those.
The sixth-generation equipment is estimated to be ready in two years.
Previously, signals could be tracked and intercepted because radio stations used predetermined frequencies. The newest radio communications systems are fully protected against eavesdropping. According to the source, they are highly resistant to jamming since they use pseudo random frequency-hopping among other techniques.
The S-500, designed by Almaz Antey, is said to have a range of 600 kilometers (more than 370 miles). The system can simultaneously intercept up to ten ballistic and hypersonic missiles traveling at a speed of 5 kilometers per second. The Prometey is capable of engaging targets at an altitude of up to 200 kilometers (more than 120 miles).
The S-500 will be a major upgrade to the state-of-the-art S-400 complex that is already in service.
