"A missile defense unit of the Russian Aerospace Forces has tested a new, modernized air defense missile at the Sary Shagan testing range (Kazakhstan)," the ministry said in the affiliated Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) newspaper.
Russian Maj. Gen. Andrei Prikhodko, deputy commander of air and anti-ballistic defense forces, was cited in the statement as saying that the projectile had successfully engaged its target. The weapon is in military service.
In April, the Russian Defense Ministry said the new, modernized anti-ballistic missile system has been successfully tested in Kazakhstan at the Sary Shagan testing range.
The anti-missile system is designed to protect Moscow against air and space attacks, as well as to carry out tasks in the interests of missile attack warning systems and control of outer space, the publication noted.
Since 2008, Russia has been reportedly developing a unified air and missile defense system, designed to integrate not only its own air and missile defense systems, but also those of other countries in the Confederacy of Independent States (CIS). In fact, the creation of this system means the gradual elimination of the line between tactical and strategic air and missile defense systems.
The concept of a unified system involves the creation of a multi-layered and multi-tiered air and missile defense system capable of effectively engaging aerial targets at different ranges and altitudes.