Speaking to the official armed forces newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda, Aerospace Forces Deputy Commander Lieutenant General Yuri Grekhov disclosed that the development of the S-500, the successor to the S-300 and S-400 air defence systems — has reached its final stage, as has the development of a number of radar systems.
He also disclosed that the Armed Forces will soon begin receiving the S-350 systems as well. The S-350 is tasked with "defence of administrative-political centres, most important objects and regions of the country, armed forces groups, from massive air strikes, including tactical and operative-tactical ballistic missiles," Grekhov said, adding that the system has already passed the state's testing.
"Every weapon system I mentioned is unique in its own way and is designed to solve a wide spectrum of tasks to ensure reliable aerospace defence of our country," Grekhov said.
The S-500, the S-350 and the new radars feature high mobility and are able to deploy to and function in unprepared positions, he said.
When asked about the percentage of cutting-edge systems in the Russian military, Grekhov said he estimates it makes up about 70 percent, adding that several more Russian air defence regiments will switch to the S-400 this year. However, 90 percent of systems used by the Moscow Region and Central Economic Region air defences are modern.
While the S-500's specifications remain classified, the system is reportedly able to destroy targets up to 600 kilometres away; it is also believed to be able to track and simultaneously strike up to 10 ballistic targets moving at speeds up to 7 km/s (approximately Mach 20).
