Russia Conducting Final Tests for S-500 Hypersonic Air Defence System - Entry Into Frontline Service Imminent

The Russian Military has announced one of the final series of tests for the S-500 long range surface to air missile system, after the platform entered serial production in 2018. The system is already operational, with some prototypes and possibly some serially produced variants active, but are being used solely for testing and have not yet been delivered to frontline units in the armed forces. The director-general of producer Almaz Antey’s Design Bureau for Special Machine-Building Vladimir Dolbenkov stated regarding the platform’s combat readiness: “In the interests of the air and missile defence troops, company experts have created units of the next generation Triumfattor-M [S-500] mobile air defence system ... A launcher, components of a multi-functional locator and a missile defense locator, an equipped chassis for a command post, and transport units for an early-warning radar system have been developed, and their tests are being completed.”

The S-500 was not developed as a replacement for the S-400 and S-300V4 systems which are currently Russia’s most capable long range air defence systems, and is instead designed to neutralise higher value targets including space planes, hypersonic aircraft, intercontinental range ballistic missiles, satellites, stealth bombers, AWACS and other support aircraft and all manner of hypersonic missiles. The platform has a maximum engagement range of 600km - where the S-400 and S-300V4 had a 400km range when deploying the 40N6E missile and a 250km range without it. The S-500 will be able to integrate into an air defence network with the older missile systems, and is expected to revolutionise Russia’s ability to respond to a new generation of threats from a number of ongoing American weapons programs such as the B-21 stealth bomber, SR-72 hypersonic space plane and new hypersonic intermediate range missiles - all of which are expected to be in service by 2030. It has been speculated that the S-500 could make its first appearance and Russia's 2020 victory parade celebrating the 75th anniversary of its victory over Nazi Germany and its European Fascist allies.