Russian news agency Izvestia reported that Russia recently conducted new flight tests of the S-500 missile defence system, testing its ability to shoot down hypersonic missiles, citing sources in the Russian defence ministry.
According to Izvestia, the S-500 system proved its effectiveness by accurately tracking and neutralising targets similar to the Russian hypersonic glide vehicle ‘Avangard’.
While Western countries are struggling to deploy hypersonic missiles, Russia‘s claim regarding its ability to shoot down such missiles has drawn significant attention from the global community.
S500 Prometheus: The cutting-edge missile defence system
The S-500 Prometheus is the cutting-edge missile defence system of Russia, which reportedly entered service in 2021.
While the S-400 system is primarily designed for air defence against aircraft, cruise missiles, and drones, it can also intercept ballistic missiles with a range of up to 3,500 km within a 60 km radius during their terminal phase.
However, the S-500 Prometheus, a successor to the S-400, is primarily designed to intercept ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, at a maximum range of 600 km.
According to reports, the S-500 system features two new interceptors, 77N6 and 77N6-N1, designed to destroy incoming ballistic missiles or satellites at a range of 600 km and altitudes close to 200 km.
Some reports also claimed that the system uses the 40N6M, a derivative of the S-400’s 40N6E, with a range of 400 km against aerodynamic targets.
The system can engage 10 ballistic targets simultaneously and is claimed to have the ability to shoot down targets travelling at speeds of up to 7 km/sec.
The S-500 system is not meant to replace the S-400 system but to supplement it along with the A235 system. The system can coordinate with the S-400, forming a comprehensive defence against a wide range of aerial threats.
Can the S-500 shoot down hypersonic missiles?
Unlike ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles are capable of travelling within earth’s atmosphere and changing course throughout their flight to evade missile defence systems.
While ballistic missiles can be detected thousands of kilometres away, hypersonic missiles can only be detected at a distance of a few hundred kilometres, providing a shorter response time to calculate trajectory, prepare, and launch several missiles to intercept the target.
Russia leads the hypersonic race with successful deployments of the Avangard boost glide vehicle and the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile. Meanwhile, Western countries, including the US, are still in the development phase of hypersonic missiles.
Dmitry Kornev, editor of the Military Russia portal, stated that the S-500 system is capable of intercepting missiles travelling at hypersonic speeds, ranging from short-range systems to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), including hypersonic missiles that fly at low altitudes.
The success of the S-500 system in intercepting hypersonic missiles is likely achieved through new radars and a powerful computing complex. Additionally, it requires highly manoeuvrable missiles with extremely high speeds to chase the targets, according to Kornev.
Hypersonic defence projects
The United States is actively engaged in the development of the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) to intercept hypersonic missiles, with plans for deployment by 2029.
Israel unveiled the new Sky Sonic defence system last year, but no specific timeline was provided. Additionally, European countries are developing two new systems: the MBDA Aquila and the HYDEF system.
Conclusion
While Russia has already been leading the hypersonic missile race, the country now claims to possess a system capable of intercepting such missiles, even as Western countries struggle to deploy similar technologies. This claim has drawn significant attention from the global community.
