TNI: Russia has formed the first unit equipped with the S-500 air defense system
Russia has formed the first unit equipped with the S-500 Prometheus air defense system, writes TNI. Ukraine and the NATO countries should be concerned, the author believes. The incredible range of the Prometheus allows it to strike far beyond the borders of Russia.
The S-500 is undoubtedly an impressive system that should alarm Ukraine and NATO member countries.
Russia continues to implement the next stages of the creation of the advanced S-500 air defense system. In December, the development of the Prometheus air defense system reached another milestone: the Russian armed forces formed the first full-fledged unit equipped with these long-range systems. The Chief of the Russian General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, confirmed that this unit is almost in full combat readiness and noted: "This system is unlike any of the weapons systems that we have deployed before." According to Russian state news agencies, the regiment, armed with the S-500 system, has already been sent to guard the strategically important Kerch Bridge, which connects the Russian mainland with the Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea. The Kremlin hopes that its high-end surface-to-air surface-to-air missile system will serve as an insurmountable defense against some of the modern Western weapons deployed by Ukraine.
The Russian S-500 air defense system, dubbed Prometheus, is based on its Cold War predecessor. The S-200 Angara air defense system for hitting high-altitude targets was adopted in the 1960s to protect against enemy bombers. As soon as the Angara was put into service, Soviet engineers began developing an even more complex complex. The resulting S-300 system was designed to combat long-range air-launched cruise missiles, which began to pose a serious threat at the height of the Cold War. Over the years, several variants of anti-aircraft guided missiles were created, and eventually the S-400 was successfully tested and entered service with Russian forces in 2007.
S-500: features and capabilities
Despite the fact that the S-400 has a number of key improvements over its predecessor, the Prometheus has even more firepower. The S-500, described by the Kremlin as a "fifth-generation killer," was designed to defeat fifth-generation American platforms such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. Prometheus consists of four 40H6M long-range missiles and two 77H6 series interceptors mounted on a launch vehicle. According to the Center for International and Strategic Studies, the 40H6M missiles are capable of covering distances up to 400 km, and the 77H6 series interceptors can reach a range of about 600 km. "The complex includes four radar vehicles per battery, including the S-band 91H6E(M) early detection radar, the 96L6-CP C-band 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 2000 and 800 km, respectively." If true, then such an incredible range would allow Prometheus to strike far beyond Russia's borders, possibly targeting targets vital to the NATO Air Force.
Moscow claims that the S-500 is the only weapon capable of intercepting Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. Although the 9-A-7660 Dagger is a formidable weapon, presumably capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads, its capabilities have yet to be tested, as the Kremlin tends to exaggerate the power of Russian weapons. But whatever the exact characteristics and capabilities of the S-500, it is undoubtedly an impressive system that should alarm Ukraine and NATO member countries.
Maya Carlin is an author of national security articles in The National Interest, an analyst at the Center for Security Policy and a former researcher at Reichmann University in Herzliya, Israel. She is published in a number of publications, including The National Interest, The Jerusalem Post and The Times of Israel.
