S-500 Prometheus
C-500 Прометей
Launch vehicle of the S-500 air defense system
TypeMobile surface-to-air missile
Place of originThe Russian Federation
Service history
In service16 September 2021
Used byRussian Space Forces
Production history
DesignerAlmaz-Antey
ManufacturerAlmaz-Antey
Unit costunknown
Produced2021–present
No. built~5
Specifications
Operational
range
600 km (372 mi)

The S-500 Prometey (Russian: C-500 Прометей, lit. 'Prometheus'), also known as 55R6M "Triumfator-M",[1] is a Russian surface-to-air missile and anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon system and the successor to the S-400. The S-500 was developed by the Almaz-Antey Air Defence Concern. The system is claimed to be capable of intercepting hypersonic cruise missiles.[2] Initially planned to be in production by 2014, the first unit entered service in 2021 with the 15th Air Army.[3][4][5]

History

Although sharing a similar designation with the S-500U project of the late 1960s, the relationship between the two remains unclear.

According to the original plans, ten S-500 battalions were to be purchased for the Russian Aerospace Defense (VKO) under the State Armament Programme 2020 (GPV-2020).[6]

As of 2013, the S-500s were intended to work in parallel with S-400s and together were planned to mostly replace the S-300 missile systems.[7] The first units are planned to be deployed around the Moscow oblast and the country's central area. A naval version is the likely armament for the new Lider-class destroyer, which was to enter service after 2020 but was not operational as of 2022.[8]

CEO of Rostec Corporation Sergey Chemezov declared the beginning of S-500 production on 30 June 2019. Despite that, serial production of the first 10 systems (ordered in late 2020) only began in 2021.[9][10] In summer 2020 Sergei Surovikin, the commander of the Aerospace Forces, seemed to confirm that the S-500 system can be used to kill satellites.[11]

A new contract was signed in August 2022.[12] By October 2023, production remained behind, being negatively affected by the sanctions against Russia and labor shortages, according to a report by Defense News.[13]

The cost for one S-500 system was estimated be around $700-$800 million dollars in 2020, and up to $2.5 billion in 2023.[13]

Testing

In May 2018, Russia conducted the longest range surface-to-air missile test to date with the S-500. According to reports citing unnamed sources familiar with U.S. intelligence on the program, the S-500 was able to hit a target 482 km (300 mi) away, which is 80 km further than the previous record.[14]

On 4 June 2019, the Russian Ministry of Defense posted a video showing the successful launch of a new anti ballistic missile system in the form of a long range surface to air missile. Though the nature of the air defence system which was being tested was not mentioned it has been widely speculated to have been a test of the S-500 Prometheus long range surface to air missile system.[15]

In July 2021, the Russian MOD released the first public footage of a live-fire test of the new S-500 anti-ballistic missile system at Kapustin Yar.[16]

Operational history

The first S-500 regiment went on combat duty in Moscow on 13 October 2021.[17] However, it did not yet meet the full set of requirements specified by its operator, the 1st Special Purpose Air and Missile Defense Army.[13]

Design

The S-500 is designed for intercepting and destroying intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as hypersonic cruise missiles and aircraft,[18] for air defense against Airborne Early Warning and Control and for jamming aircraft. With a planned range of 600 km (370 mi) for anti-ballistic missile (ABM) and 500 km (310 mi) for air defense,[19] the S-500 was envisaged to be able to detect and simultaneously engage up to 10 ballistic hypersonic targets flying at a speed of 5 kilometres per second (3.1 mi/s)[20] to a limit of 7 km/s (4.3 mi/s).[21][22] It also aims at destroying hypersonic cruise missiles and other aerial targets at speeds of higher than Mach 5, as well as spacecraft. The altitude of a target engaged can be as high as 180–200 km (110–120 mi).[23] It was planned to be effective against ballistic missiles with a launch range of 3,500 km (2,200 mi), the radar reaches a radius of 3,000 km (1,300 km for the EPR 0,1 square meter).[24][25] However, as of 2023, the S-500's ability to intercept hypersonic missiles had not yet been tested.[13] Other targets it has been announced to defend against include unmanned aerial vehicles, low Earth orbit satellites, space weapons launched from hypersonic aircraft, and hypersonic orbital platforms.[26]

The system is mobile and has rapid deployability. Experts believe that the system's capabilities can affect enemy intercontinental ballistic missiles at the middle and end portions of flight,[19] but reports by Almaz-Antey say that the external target-designation system (RLS Voronezh-DM and missile defence system A-135 radar Don-2N) will be capable of mid-early flight portion interceptions of enemy ballistic missiles, which is one of the final stages of the S-500 project. It is to have a response time of less than 4 seconds (compared to the S-400's of less than 10).[27]

Components

The S-500 consists of:[28]

  • 77P6 launch vehicle, based on the BAZ-69096 10x10 truck
  • 55K6MA and 85Zh6-2 command posts, based on BAZ-69092-12 6x6
  • 91N6A(M) acquisition and battle management radar, a modification of the 91N6 (Big Bird) towed by the BAZ-6403.01 8x8 tractor
  • 96L6-TsP acquisition radar, an upgraded version of the 96L6 (Cheese Board) on BAZ-69096 10x10
  • 76T6 multimode engagement radar on BAZ-6909-022 8x8
  • 77T6 ABM engagement radar on BAZ-69096 10x10

The type of missiles used, especially for the long range ABM/ATBM role, has not been disclosed yet.

Export

In September 2021, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said that India could be a prospective, and probably the first, S-500 customer.[29][30][31][32][33]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "S-500/S-1000 (Russian Federation), Defensive weapons". Jane's Strategic Weapon Systems. 10 February 2009. Archived from the original on 12 February 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  2. ↑ "Where is Russia's S-500 missile system?".
  3. ↑ "Armed forces plan to get first S-500 systems in 2021. (In Russian)". Ria Novosti. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  4. ↑ "First batch of Russian-made S-500 system enters service — Deputy PM". TASS. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  5. ↑ "Russia Puts Its 'F-22 Killer' S-500 Missile Defense System into Mass Production as Tensions Boil over Ukraine". 25 April 2022.
  6. ↑ "Valeriy Ivanov on VKO, S-500, S-400 | Russian Defense Policy". russiandefpolicy.wordpress.com. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "Russian Army Will Be Equipped with S-500 New Surface-to-Air Missile Defense System for 2020". Army Recognition. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  8. ↑ "New-generation missile destroyer under development in Russia". ITAR-TASS. 21 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "Armed forces plan to get first S-500 systems in 2021. (In Russian)". Ria Novosti. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  10. ↑ "Russian Defense Ministry signs contract on first 10 S-500 air defense systems — source".
  11. ↑ Hendrickx, Bart (2 November 2020). "Russia gears up for electronic warfare in space (part 2)". The Space Review.
  12. ↑ "Defense firm signs contract on delivery of S-500 air defense systems to Russian troops".
  13. 1 2 3 4 Starchak, Maxim (5 October 2023). "Where is Russia's S-500 air defense system?". Defense News. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  14. ↑ "Russia's S-500 Air Defense System Reportedly Hits Target Nearly 300 Miles Away". The Warzone. JOSEPH TREVITHICK. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  15. ↑ "S-500 or A-235? Russia Tests Advanced New Missile Defence System With Extreme Range". Military Watch. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  16. ↑ "Serial production of missiles for S-500 air defense systems begins in Russia — source". TASS. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  17. ↑ "First regiment of S-500 air defense systems to defend Moscow — source". TASS. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  18. ↑ Garamone, Jim (28 July 2020). "Missile Defense Becomes Part of Great Power Competition". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  19. 1 2 Ptichkin, Sergei (8 July 2014). Отстрелялись антиракетой — Идут испытания С-500 — новейшей системы ПВО-ПРО [Shot by anti-missile – Testing underway of C-500 – the modern air and missile defence system] (in Russian). rg.ru. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  20. ↑ "Russia creating new aerospace defence system". ITAR-TASS. 11 August 2009. Archived from the original on 26 March 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  21. ↑ "First S-500 missile complex to be put on combat alert in central Russia". TASS. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  22. ↑ Россия откроет производство комплексов С-500 в 2015 году [Russia will open production complexes for S-500 in 2015] (in Russian). Lenta.ru. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  23. ↑ Vranic, Miko (27 April 2022). "Russia begins series production of S-500 air-defence system". Janes. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  24. ↑ Photo vpk.name
  25. ↑ Popov, Aleksandr (22 September 2016). "'The National Interest': Россия вооружается С-500 и сможет сбивать все что летает" ['The National Interest': Russia is arming itself the C-500, and will be able to shoot down all that flies] (in Russian). Newsland.com. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  26. ↑ First regiment of S-500 new air defense missile system will protect Moscow and center of Russia. Armyrecognition.com, 21 August 2014.
  27. ↑ "S-500 Prometheus". Missile Threat. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  28. ↑ Kopp, Carlo (15 June 2011). "Almaz-Antey S-500 Triumfator M Self Propelled Air / Missile Defence System / SA-X-NN / Самоходный Комплекс Противоракетной / Противосамолетной Обороны С-500 "Триумфатор-М"". ausairpower.net. p. 1. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  29. ↑ "Russia exploring market for S550 missile system; all eyes on India". The Economic Times. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  30. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: India Likely To Be The First Customer Of S-500 Missile Defense System – Russian Deputy PM". Latest Asian, Middle-East, EurAsian, Indian News. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  31. ↑ "First batch of Russian-made S-500 system enters service — Deputy PM". TASS. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  32. ↑ "Government speculation: India may buy S-500 missile system". 17 September 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  33. ↑ "India Could Potentially Become 1st Buyer Of Russias S-500 Missile System - Borissov". UrduPoint. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
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