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| The Russian S-500 missile system |
International Military - Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Russian military is in the process of deploying the S-500 missile system, the country's most advanced air defense system. The Russian leader made the announcement during a speech to military college graduates in Moscow as he described Russia's plans to field an advanced weapons system, which he said would determine the combat capability of the army and navy for years and decades to come.
Putin stated that the long-range S-500 missile system, which is designed to intercept aircraft and missiles and may have some anti-satellite capabilities, has no equal in the world.
The S-500 Prometey missile system was designed by Russian arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey as a continuation of the long-range surface-to-air missile family. The missile is believed to have a range of 600 km and is capable of intercepting targets traveling at hypersonic speeds, including the warheads of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Prometey is said to be tightly integrated with other missile systems from Almaz-Antey, such as the S-400 and S-350, which will allow the deployed battery to synergize with other elements of Russia's layered air defense.
The head of Almaz-Antey, Yan Novikov, said his company expects the S-500 missile system to become the backbone of Russia's anti-air capabilities. He confirmed back in April that the missile system had gone into serial production.