At least five regiments operating S-400 air defense systems and 20 divisions operating Pantsir-S air defense missile-gun systems will join the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces by 2020, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian air forces, Viktor Bondarev, said, Interfax-AVN reports.
“By 2020 the Russian anti-aircraft missile troops will be rearmed to state-of-the-art weapons by 70%,” the Commander-in-Chief noted during a conference dedicated to 100th anniversary of Russian air defense forces.
Moreover, the general noted that fighter aviation, which will be able to destroy hypersonic and ballistic missiles, is a very important part of the Aerospace Defense Forces. The latest Su-35S, MiG-35 and T-50 (PAK FA) fighters will be delivered to the military units in the near term. These vehicles may be operated under any lighting and weather conditions; they are able to use high-precision weapons and feature low signature.
“The latest practices of using fighter aviation include not only air superiority operations, but also fighting the enemy weapons in the near space,” Bondarev said.
Russian Aerospace Defense Forces, fighter aviation and other branches of the Russian armed forces must learn to combat the potential enemy together.
“The country’s air defense systems as well as CIS Air Defense System needs constant upgrading,” the Commander-in-Chief added.
S-400 Triumph developed by Almaz-Antey Concern is state-of-the-art air defense system designed for destroying all the existing and next-generation aircraft and missiles: reconnaissance aircraft, stealth aircraft, fighters, strategic bombers, cruise and ballistic missiles, UAVs and hypersonic targets. Each air defense system is able to attack 36 targets at a distance of 400 km using 72 missiles.
S-400 Triumph is the only system able to work with four different types of missiles having different weight and range creating a “zoned” defense.
Pantsir-S1 air defense missile-gun system was developed by Tula-based KBP Instrument Design Bureau named after A.G. Shipunov (part of NPO Vysokotochniye Kompleksi (stands for High Precision Systems)). The system is able to destroy cruise missiles, UAVs, aircraft and ground targets within the radius of 20 km and at altitudes of up to 15 km.
The cost of operating this system equipped with missiles and guns is much lower compared to the cost of operation of long- and medium-range systems.
According to NPO Vysokotochniye Kompleksi, more and more customers are interested in purchasing this system.
