S-500 In Action? Russia Tests New Defence System Designed Shoot Down Western Nuclear Missiles and Satellites

Amid ongoing tensions and major U.S. investments in the modernisation of its nuclear arsenal, the Russian military has successfully tested a new anti-ballistic missile system meant to shoot down Western nuclear tipped strategic missiles. The defence system was tested at the Sary-Shagan range in Kazakhstan, a facility which was established under the Soviet Union and has been leased by Russia frequently since, and hit the simulated target according to a statement by the the Russian Defense Ministry. The test notably came just days after the U.S. Navy successfully tested its own missile defence system from a destroyer warship at sea, with further tests by both countries expected over the coming year.

The Russian Defense Ministry noted that the new missile defence system, the designation of which was not revealed, was designed to guard the country against both air and space attacks. "At the Sary-Shagan testing range (Republic of Kazakhstan), a combat crew of the air and missile defence troops of the Aerospace Forces successfully carried out a regular test launch of a new missile of the Russian missile defence system," the ministry stated. Russia’s most prominent defence systems with such capabilities currently under development are the S-500 and A-235, the former which was designed primarily to neutralise ballistic missiles, satellites and high value aircraft such as American E-3 AWACS jets. The latter was designed exclusively for defence against targets in space such as ballistic missiles, and has the longest range of any surface to air missile system in the world at over 1,500km.