Russian S-500 air defense missile system to be supplied earlier than scheduled.

The latest Russian S-500 air and missile defense will be supplied to the troops earlier than scheduled, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said. The Army Standard writes about the new Russian weapon. Borisov said staged trials of various elements are ongoing, as well as "launches of new missiles which have no analogs in the world."

Scale model of the new Russian S-500 air defense missile system. (Picture source Internet)

It is a new generation of antiaircraft missile weapons designed by Almaz-Antey. It can attack various targets, including airplanes and helicopters, cruise and ballistic missiles, ordinary and high-altitude drones, hypersonic projectiles flying at a speed of over 6 thousand km/h and military satellites in low orbit. S-500 has a range of 600 km and an altitude of over 100 km.

Experts said it will considerably reinforce air and missile defense of the central part of the European Russia. Borisov said "successful preliminary trials allowed the Defense Ministry to accelerate serial supplies of the missile system to the troops."

The trials were held at the 185th combat training center of the Aerospace Forces in Astrakhan region. Participants said specific attention in air combat imitation was paid to the ability of radars to fit S-500.

The main task was to integrate S-500 radars with those of Pantsir-SM. Their joint operation under a single command was tested. Experts say S-500 can easily interface with S-300, S-350, S-400 and Pantsir, as well as integrate into a single command of defense of major formations, industrial and political centers of the country.

"Today the design of new weapons differs from the Soviet one. Previously, they were initially supplied to the troops for long operation and several years later an upgrade began. The approach has changed, as there is no time to wait," aerospace defense expert Sergey Khatylev said.

The Russian president set the task to create an aerospace defense which can protect the country from the latest weapons, including hypersonic ones. The potential adversary does not have such weapons so far, but can develop them soon. "We cannot sit and wait. We have to develop a possible response at accelerated pace - design, test, supply and upgrade combat characteristics. There is no other way. We have to be several steps ahead of the potential adversary and impose such armed struggle in case of a conflict which is advantageous only for us," he said.

Khatylev believes S-500 will do the job. Its radars are ready. The designers deal with the missile, the launch equipment and software. As the work is completed, S-500 will become operational, serial production will begin with simultaneous modernization.

Khatylev believes the new weapon will initially be supplied to the Moscow region to strengthen the missile defense of the capital city and the command of all forces which is done through automatic control system operating in a single information space, the Army Standard said.