The S-500 air defense missile system, which is under development, will be put into mass production in 2014. Until that time, the military intend to start actively operating the S-400 Triumph air defense system. In March, the second S-400 regiment will take up combat duty in the Central Federal District, which will replace the outdated S-300. Military experts assess the replacement as a positive step, but note that the pace of development of missile weapons leaves much to be desired.
Lieutenant-General Valery Ivanov, the commander of the USC East Kazakhstan region, shared information about the launch of the S-500 series with reporters.
“The S-500 air defense missile system is under development. From 2014 it should be launched into series,”said the commander.
“The S-400 anti-aircraft missile regiment will take up combat duty in the Moscow region near Dmitrov in mid-March. The newest types of air defense weapons are used to defend Moscow and our central industrial region,”Ivanov also said.
As you know, the first regiment equipped with S-400 took up combat duty in 2009 in Elektrostal near Moscow.
According to Ivanov, in the very near future, the adoption of the latest weapons will become a complex process. “Previously, we received it (the S-400 complex) as separate pieces of equipment for the battalion, for the launch site, but today everything is accepted for the first time in a comprehensive manner - by the regiment,” Ivanov noted, adding that this Saturday, February 19, at the Kapustin Yar training ground the ceremony of acceptance into service of the S-400 regimental kit will take place. “This is the second regiment of the S-400 air defense missile system in the Moscow region. There will be two divisions, each with eight launchers. Thus, obsolete models of equipment will be replaced,”the commander assured.
So far, the S-400 is planned to be deployed only in the Moscow region to protect the capital region and Moscow. To reliably protect the Russian capital from air strikes, it is necessary to have at least 3-4 S-400 Triumph regiments. “To ensure the effectiveness of the defense of Moscow by means of air defense, at least three or four regiments of S-400 air defense systems are needed. This will be done in 2016–2020,”the lieutenant general suggested.
Retired Colonel-General Viktor Yesin, the former chief of the General Staff of the Strategic Missile Forces of the Russian Federation, believes that such a replacement is undoubtedly a positive step, but "the timeframe is too long."
“On the whole, Moscow is a protected city, but it will not withstand a massive missile strike. Moscow is defending itself not only with S-400 or S-300 complexes. The main element of the missile defense system in Moscow and the Central Region of Russia is the A-135 strategic anti-missile defense system, put on duty back in 1995. The complexes only reinforce this system,”said military expert Yesin.
In a conversation with reporters, General Ivanov said that the S-400s deployed in the Moscow region are also capable of solving the tasks of non-strategic missile defense.
But Yesin said that it is just non-strategic missiles that the complex will be able to shoot down without any special problems, the big question is whether it can also easily cope with strategic missiles. “Strategic missile defense can intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles or warheads that are separated. That is, missile defense shoots down a missile traveling at a speed of 4.5 km per second. I would be careful not to say that the S-400 can shoot down strategic missiles,”Yesin emphasized.
When asked by journalists about the future prospects for the creation of a non-strategic missile defense system of the CIS countries, Commander Ivanov expressed confidence that "the CIS missile defense system will take place in the near future, but first of all, the issues of the defense of Moscow and its cover should be resolved in a comprehensive manner." “The CIS missile defense is a matter of the near future,” the general answered.
Esin, in turn, again criticized Ivanov's words. “The talks on the CIS missile defense have been conducted not so long ago, and it is too early to draw conclusions. Only the ideology was voiced that such a system is needed. Russian President Medvedev rightly wants to unite with his neighbors, but this takes time. Unfortunately, the pace of missile defense development is lagging behind. Ivanov speaks of the second S-400 regiment as a distant prospect, and this worries me. We need to accelerate if we want to build a reliable missile defense system by 2020. Not to say that the pace is turtle, but they are insufficient. It is necessary to make up for lost time sooner"
