Moscow. January 3. INTERFAX-Deliveries to the Russian Armed Forces of the new S-500 Prometheus air defense system, capable of destroying targets in near space, are expected in 2021.
The start of deliveries of the S-500 in 2021 was previously announced by Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Krivoruchko and head of the state corporation Rostec Sergey Chemezov.
"In the next (2021) year, it is planned to complete tests and adopt the S-500 anti - aircraft missile system, "Krivoruchko said in an interview with the Russian Defense Ministry's Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper on December 30.
On December 7, answering the question whether the coronavirus affected the timing of the creation of the S-500, Chemezov replied: "As far as I know, no. In fact, all the tests "Almaz-Antey" has long been completed, planned in 2021 (to transfer to the troops-IF)."
In August of this year, at the Army-2020 forum, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, who oversees the military-industrial complex, said that state tests of the S-500 system are underway in Russia, while the simplified configuration is being tested.
On May 9, in an interview with Interfax, Borisov said that all elements of the S-500 are manufactured and tested.
On July 3, VKS Commander-in-Chief Sergey Surovikin said that the S-500 will be able to destroy satellites and hypersonic weapons of all modifications in near space.
"The main task of the complex is the destruction of medium-range ballistic missiles, and if necessary, the combat blocks of intercontinental ballistic missiles in the final section of their flight path. The S-500 complex is capable of destroying hypersonic aircraft, aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, " Surovikin said at the time.
The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov said earlier to Interfax that the S-500 is ready for mass production - its main characteristics have already been confirmed during tests.
The S-500 will become the basis of a unified national air and missile defense system (air defense-missile defense), the command of the First Air Defense-Missile Defense Army, which covers Moscow and the Central Industrial District, told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper in January 2017.
In May 2018, the American TV channel CNBC, citing sources who received data from US intelligence, reported that Russia had tested the S-500. According to the TV channel, the S-500 system successfully hit the target at a record range of over 480 km. According to American experts, this is more than 80 km longer than the range of any known previous tests, a source told CNBC at the time.
