S-500
The S-500 is designed with three primary tasks - the neutralizing of satellites and space aircraft outside the atmosphere, the interception of ballistic missiles, and the destruction of stealth enemy military aircraft. It is in this third role in particular, which will see the S-500 engage targets at lower altitudes within the atmosphere, where the missile system is set to prove a game changer against the air units of its potential adversaries. These systems limit the West’s strike capabilities in almost every area including "first strike". The new Russian missile system will reportedly be able to track heavy high value enemy aircraft at ranges of up to 800km, and can engage targets at ranges of up to 600km and at high hypersonic speeds of at least Mach 14.
Deployed to Kaliningrad, Crimea and the far west of Russia’s Central Province near Brayansk, the S-500 will maintain coverage over much of Europe including the entire Baltic Sea. E-3 Sentry aircraft for example, flying over Berlin or a little north of Prague, will be well within range of Russian missile systems in Kaliningrad. The whole of Poland including new American military bases there will also be covered, as will the entire east coast of the Black Sea including Bucharest and Istanbul. The S-500 thus retains the potential to provide Russia with a significant aerial warfare advantage over much of Europe, and the high mobility of thee systems means that they can potentially be redeployed should Russian ground forces take to the offensive and take ground - extending their reach further westwards. The S-500’s deployment thus poses a very significant threat to NATO's freedom of operations in the European theatre in the event of war, and serves to complement the strength of Russia’s existing deterrent assets. The platform will be supported in its ‘AWACS hunter’ role by other shorter ranged hypersonic systems including the R-37 air to air missiles with a 400km range - deployed by the Su-57 fighters and MiG-31 interceptors, and the 40N6E surface to air missiles deployed by the S-400 and S-300V4 systems which also retain a 400km range.
The system is capable of destroying targets in outer space. A special feature is its ability to work on a wide range of targets at ranges up to 600 km and at altitudes up to 200 km. In February 2024 the Russian military shot down several hypersonic missiles in tests. The latest complex also successfully hit and destroyed the intercontinental ballistic missile Seniva.
On April 23, 2024 Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the deployment for combat duty the new generation S-500 Prometheus surface-to-air missile system to Russian troops had begun.
