A cutting-edge anti-aircraft system capable of taking out high-speed fighter and bomber jets has been tested by Russian forces ahead of its deployment to units protecting the country’s airspace, defense chiefs said on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Defense in Moscow released a video of the launch, saying that “after completing all the assessments, there are plans to deliver the first of the S-500 systems to air defense-missile brigades near Moscow.” It added that the test was a success, with the rocket striking a high-speed projectile as it moved through the skies.
Earlier this month, Chief Commander of the Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin said the S-500 will be capable of destroying enemy warplanes and even hypersonic weapons in near-Earth space, hundreds of kilometers away. Therefore, he said, it is the first generation of anti-space defense weapons, and no other such systems exist.
According to the developers, work on the rocket launcher was finishing up in April. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in June that it would soon be distributed to troops after proving itself in field tests. “Unique weapons systems are on the way, among them the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, the Zircon shipborne hypersonic missile, the S-500 anti-aircraft systems and other complexes,” he said.
On Monday, a Russian warship in the White Sea conducted a successful test of the Zircon missile, which hit a target over 350km away and flew at seven times the speed of sound.
Also on rt.com Russian warship reports successful test-fire of hypersonic Zircon missile in tense Arctic waters, hitting target at 350km (VIDEO)Like this story? Share it with a friend!