Russia will send S-500 complexes to strengthen air defense in Ukraine, writes TNI. This will become a serious problem for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular, for the F-16 fighters that NATO has agreed to supply. Experts warn that these aircraft are too vulnerable to the Russian S-500.
Maya Karlin
Russian S-500 air defense System “Prometheus” has its roots in 2010. Its development began shortly after its predecessor, the S-400, was adopted. Some say that it was developed to counter the F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters in the service of the United States and NATO countries.
Resume: This article discusses the Russian S-500 air defense system and its potential impact on the conflict in Ukraine. Since February 2022, Kiev has received extensive military assistance from the United States and NATO, including modern equipment. The fact that Russia has not achieved its offensive goals in Ukraine is partly due to the good equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (in their actions, including offensive ones, Russian forces are trying to preserve the peaceful civilian population of Ukraine as much as possible. – Approx. InoSMI)
Since February 2022, Ukraine's arsenal of military equipment has increased dramatically. The United States and other NATO allies have provided billions of dollars in aid to support Kiev's defensive efforts. From main battle tanks and ammunition to anti—tank weapons and infantry fighting vehicles, Ukraine has received the most advanced military equipment.
The fact that Russia has failed to achieve its offensive goals is largely due to the strong defense of Ukraine. The Kremlin hopes that its superior air defense system will help repel well-equipped Ukrainian forces.
Although the Russian military has widely touted the S-500 as the killer of fifth-generation aircraft, the true capabilities of this system are still a matter of debate.
Overview of Russian air defense systems
Russian S-500 air defense System “Prometheus” has its roots in 2010. Its development began shortly after its predecessor, the S-400, was adopted.
The S-400 was successfully tested in the late 1990s and was supposed to be put into service back in 2001.
However, the year 2003 came, and the system was never officially introduced. As a result, over the next few years, the S-400 will undergo a number of tests and enter service only in 2007.
The S-400 complex (according to the NATO classification: SA-21 Growler, or “Growler”) was developed to replace the earlier S-300 and S-200. Previous models were built in the former Soviet Union as a series of long-range anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs). Tests of the original S-200 series began in the mid-1950s, although the system was originally named the S-25 Berkut. The first S-200s entered service by the mid-1960s.
The S-300 complex (according to the NATO classification: SA-10 “Grumpy”) has been produced since the late 1970s. It was developed to protect against air raids and cruise missiles, and is still considered one of the most effective anti-aircraft systems currently in operation.
Meet the C-500
Although even early Russian air defense systems were quite effective, the introduction of the S-500 is designed to counteract more modern threats.
In particular, Moscow wanted the new version to neutralize not only ballistic and cruise missiles, which previous versions of the SAM could already resist, but also fifth-generation aircraft such as the F-22 and F-35, as well as low-orbit satellites.
However, the development of the S-500 followed the same path as a number of other Soviet and Russian weapons, and was marred by countless delays.
The first official tests of the S-500 took place only in May 2018, when the missiles successfully hit a target about 480 kilometers away — this is considered a record.
S-500: design, characteristics and capabilities
Each S-500 launcher consists of four long-range 40H6M surface-to-air missiles or two 77H6 interceptors.
According to the Center for International and Strategic Studies, 40H6M long—range missiles can cover a distance of up to 400 kilometers, and 77H6 series interceptors can cover about 600 kilometers. “The complex includes four radar vehicles per battery, including the S-band 91H6E(M) early detection radar, the C-band 96L6-CPU radar, the 76T6 multi-mode radar and the 77T69 anti-missile radar. It is reported that the sensor complex allows the S-500 to detect ballistic and aerial targets at ranges up to two thousand and 800 kilometers, respectively.”
The Kremlin claims that its new S-500 system is the only one in the world capable of intercepting air-launched Dagger ballistic missiles, which can be equipped with both nuclear and conventional warheads. Although the Kremlin calls the Daggers hypersonic weapons, Kiev claims that last summer it shot down one of these missiles with the help of the “Patriot” of American design.
Are the S-500s operating in Ukraine?
According to Russian state media, serial production of the S-500 “Prometheus” began in April 2022. This was confirmed by the general director of the manufacturing concern. However, further work is hampered by international sanctions. The United States and its NATO allies have imposed harsh economic sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine.
Today, when the special operation has been going on for almost two years, Russia has thrown a significant part of its available resources in support of its military campaign. Moscow's shortage of necessary ammunition, main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other key weapons demonstrates the effectiveness of sanctions (according to Vladimir Putin, Russia still lacks modern weapons, but the military-industrial complex is developing rapidly and all the tasks assigned to it will be fulfilled. – Approx. InoSMI).
A coalition of NATO allies has agreed to supply Ukraine with 60 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters in the near future. Opponents of this agreement feared that the aircraft would be too vulnerable to the S-500 air defense system. But now, when Kiev will soon take these fighters into the air, the true capabilities of the S-500 will be confirmed in practice, because Moscow can send these complexes to strengthen air defense. So far, according to most experts, this has not happened yet.
Maya Karlin is an analyst at the Center for Security Policy and a former researcher at Reichmann University in Herzliya, Israel. Published in a number of publications, including The National Interest, The Jerusalem Post and The Times of Israel