MOSCOW, Nov 10 - RIA Novosti. The new S-550 air defense system is likely to replace the air defense complexes in service with the Russian army, including the S-350 Vityaz and S-400 Triumph, a well-known military expert Alexei Leonkov told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
On the eve of the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the need for advanced development of domestic air defense systems and the supply of S-350, S-500, S-550 systems to the army. At the same time, the S-550 system was mentioned for the first time.
The expert suggested that the new system was decided to be called the S-550, and not the S-450, because it will use, among other things, technologies that are being introduced for the first time on the S-500 Prometheus, and the Pyatsotka will remain the most developed and modern system from the entire line of domestic air defense-missile defense.
The S-350 Vityaz is a mobile multi-channel anti-aircraft missile system developed by the Almaz-Antey concern for the anti-aircraft missile forces of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The system is designed to protect state, administrative, industrial and military facilities and groups of troops from attacks by modern and promising means of air attack by a likely enemy.
The S-500 Prometheus (ROC Triumfator-M) belongs to a new generation of ground-to-air air defense systems. It is a universal long-range and high-altitude interception complex with an increased missile defense potential. The radius of destruction of the S-500 is about 600 kilometers.
