The Russian military has quietly performed the world's longest surface-to-air missile test using the new S-500 Prometey system, CNBC reports citing anonymous sources "with direct knowledge of US intelligence concerning the weapons program."
According to the news agency, during the test an S-500 missile system managed to successfully hit a target "299 miles away" which is allegedly "50 miles further than any known test."
The Russian Ministry of Defense and Almaz-Antey, the weapon’s designer, haven’t yet made any official statements about the current status of the S-500 program or any alleged tests that may or may not have taken place recently.
S-500 Prometey is a new and upcoming surface-to-air missile system which is expected to be adopted by the Russian military by 2020.
READ MORE: Sneak Peek: Key Features of Russia's Next Gen S-500 Air Defense System Unveiled
While much of S-500 specs remain classified at this time, the publically available information suggests that it will be capable of intercepting and attacking a wide variety of targets, including drones, conventional and stealth aircraft, and hypersonic weapons.
The anti-air complex will employ the 40N6 extended-range guided missile capable of engaging targets up to 155 miles away and even striking at targets in the near space i.e. at altitudes of over 60 miles.
