Even as Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov announced recently that the first regiment equipped with the S-500 system entered combat duty, a Russian defence expert claimed that the tactical and technical capabilities of the S-500 Prometheus anti-aircraft missile system are unmatched by any military-technical competitors of Moscow.
For more defence news, views and updates, visit: Fortress India
Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, told Russian news agency TASS that the country's potential adversaries do not have systems with the long-range missile capabilities of the S-500.
The S-500 Prometheus is designed to counter the full range of existing aerospace attack threats posed by a potential adversary, across all altitudes and speeds. Developed to complement Russia's S-400 Triumph and other earlier-generation air defense systems, Prometheus is intended to bridge the gap between tactical air defense and strategic air and missile defense.
"While they have long-range systems designed to intercept various offensive weapons, the specific characteristics of the Prometheus remain unrivaled by our closest competitors," Mikhailov was quoted as saying.
ALSO READ: Russia’s S-500 may not be a good fit for India’s air defence needs, warns expert
According to the expert, the anti-aircraft missile system, which works as a sophisticated space defense system, is capable of intercepting even the emerging NATO hypersonic missiles still under development, putting the NATO nations, particularly the US, at a disadvantage.
With the deployment of the S-500, Russia has introduced a formidable new challenge to the American defense industry, he said.
"It can detect targets up to 600 kilometers away and engage them with surface-to-air missiles at ranges reaching 500 kilometers. This includes not only ballistic missiles but also aerodynamic targets such as NATO’s supersonic aircraft, as well as various missile types. Notably, it can target medium-range missiles and low-orbit satellites involved in reconnaissance and communication," TASS quoted him as saying.
