Russia Developing S-500 Systems

Russia creates a new system of space defense on the base of the nation's Air Force. The system is said to be ready by 2020, the Commander of the Russian Air Force, Colonel-General Alexander Zelin said. The renewed Air Force will guarantee the deterrence of potential aggressors and repel attacks with the use of all kinds of arms, including nuclear, under military conditions.   

The development of air and space offensive arms in foreign countries shows that mankind will experience significant changes in the field of space exploration, the official said. The United States and a number of other countries will be able to attack the entire territory of Russia from space by that time.

The modernization of Russia's Air Force will begin in the nearest future. Russia has been working on its fifth-generation aircraft since the 1990s and plans to conduct its tests in November-December of this year. Russia has already established a new type of Air Force brigades which will be armed with S-400 and S-500 missile complexes. S-500 systems, based on S-400, will be able to destroy supersonic and ballistic targets, Pravda.Ru reports.

The S-500 is a new generation surface-to-air missile system, designed for intercepting short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles with ranges up to 3,500 km and for defense against Airborne Early Warning and Control, Airborne Warning and Control System and jamming aircraft. It is an upgraded version of the S-400 SA-20 Triumf. The S-500 will be able to destroy ballistic supersonic targets flying at a speed of 5 km/s.

As of 2009, the system is currently under design stage development at Almaz-Antey, and is planned to be completed in 2012. There is also a version of the system called S-1000, but it is not known what the difference between the two versions is. S-500 will reportedly be able to outperform both the S-400 as well as the U.S. Patriot Advanced Capability-3 system.

Although sharing a similar designation, the relationship between this new S-500 and the S-500U project of the 1960s is unclear. The S-500U multichannel antiaircraft system was a 1968 initiative by the Soviet Air Defence Forces, Soviet Navy, Ministry of the Radio Industry and Ministry of the Shipbuilding Industry to create a unified complex for the National Air Defense Troops, Navy and Ground Troops. Missiles of the S-500U complex were supposed to engage enemy aircraft at a range up to 100 km. The S-500U SAM complex project was rejected by the Red Army, which had a requirement to engage not only enemy aircraft, but also short range ballistic missiles. Consequently the S-300 family, SA-10 and SA-12, was developed instead.

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