Russia’s Brand-New S-500 Missile System to Have Unprecedented Damage Radius

Not only are the Russians right around the corner from deploying hypersonic missiles that can beat American missile defenses, they have a system that renders enemy hypersonic missiles useless. In short, when America decides to finally catch up and deploy its hypersonic missiles, they will be useless.

 

Image courtesy Sputnik and Sergey Malgavko.

 

In an interview with Sputnik, Russian military expert Viktor Baranets specifically touted unprecedented the damage range of Russia’s next-generation S-500 Prometey missile system, which is currently undergoing state tests.

Earlier this week, Pavel Sozinov, chief engineer of the Russian defense corporation Almaz-Antey, said that Russia’s next-generation S-500 surface-to-air missile system would be able to engage targets in the upper layer of the atmosphere, 100 kilometers [62 miles] above the Earth’s surface.

The S-500, designed by Almaz Antey, is said to have a range of 600 kilometers (more than 370 miles). The system can simultaneously intercept up to ten ballistic and hypersonic missiles traveling at a speed of up to 7 kilometers per second. Speaking to Sputnik, Viktor Baranets pointed, in particular, to the unique performance characteristics of the new Russian missile system.

Work progressing on prototype Russian bomber

 

A prototype of Russia’s new strategic bomber, the PAK DA, could take to the skies before 2021.

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“Work on the PAK DA is coming along and the pace is suiting us,” the news agency quoted Viktor Bondarev, chief of Russia’s Air and Space Forces. “The challenge remains to raise the prototype into air by 2021, but if all continues at the current pace, it will take off even earlier.”

Russia to begin production of new high-speed helo in 2022

Russia’s future RACHEL high-speed helicopter will no doubt feature elements of Kamov’s new Ka-92 co-axial compound with a pusher-propeller design (pictured) to achieve its stated top speed of 270 kt. Source: IHS/Patrick Allen

 

Russia is to begin production of a new helicopter that will be capable of speeds of up to 270 kt (500 km/h; 310 mph) in the early part of the next decade, state media reported on 1 September.

Russia Is Set to Triple Nuclear Supersonic Bomber Force

 

As The National Interest previously reported, last month Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russia would resume production of the Tu-160 strategic bomber, a Soviet-era aircraft that is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons.

On Thursday, Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev, the commander-in-chief of Russia’s Air Force, revealed that Moscow will purchase at least fifty of the Tu-160 strategic bombers once production resumes.

“No less than 50 aircraft over time will be purchased in order to cover the costs that will go into production,” Bondarev said, according to Russian state media outlets.

This will dramatically increase Russia’s bomber capabilities as only fifteen Tu-160s currently remain in service (about 35 were originally built, according to Russian media outlets). That is at least a 333 percent increase in the number of Tu-160s in Russia’s arsenal.

Russian Military to Acquire 200 New Aircraft, 50 New Naval Vessels by Year’s End

 

The Russian Air Force will receive more than 200 new warplanes and helicopters by the end of 2014, Russian Air Force commander in chief Viktor Bondarev said on August 12. The announcement came just weeks after Moscow had announced that its naval force would get more than 50 new vessels by the end of the year.

Russia to Conduct Military Drills on Conflict of Two Imaginary Nations

ASHULUK, August 6 (RIA Novosti) – Drills at the Ashuluk firing range in Russia’s southern region of Astrakhan entered their active phase on Wednesday, with the Russian military preparing to train for conflict between two imaginary states.

Anatol Liabedzka: Russian Su-27 in Belarus may carry nuclear weapons

Combat aircraft in Baranavichy may carry nuclear weapons.

This statement was made by leader of the United Civil Party (UCP) Anatol Liabedzka.

“A number of steps were made in connection with the deployment of Russian troops in Belarus: an appeal to the Constitutional Court; we tried to carry out pickets across Belarus; we appealed to the defence minister to figure out the status of the group of Russian fighter jets in Baranavichy,” he told ucpb.org.