A hypersonic missile can only be shot down by "Prometheus."
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| [S-500 Prometheus] |
In light of the worsening military situation near Taiwan, China has shown interest in Russia's newest anti-aircraft missile system, the S-500 "Prometheus." According to rumors in the media, our air defense soldiers are already learning how to use this superweapon.
The Chinese version of "Zhongguo Junwang" dedicated an entire piece to the S-500, calling it "unsurpassed." Journalists enquired of the expert why China, which has long purchased numerous S-400 divisions in Russia, is so interested in the S-500.
The S-500, according to Zhongguo Junwang, will be able to attack a wide range of aerospace targets, including strategic bombers, high-altitude reconnaissance planes, intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, and even low-orbit satellites.
The S-500 is "the apex of air defense and missile defense capabilities," according to Chinese experts. It should be mentioned that the S-500 interceptor missiles have a top speed of Mach 20. (Mach 1 is the speed of sound at a certain altitude). With the S-500, Russia will be able to construct a stronger anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense, according to the writers of the paper.
Chinese military experts did not lie about the S-500, according to the head of the Air Defense Museum, military expert Yuri Knutov, and did not even disclose some of its benefits when praising it.
"It's logical that Russian anti-aircraft missile technology are ahead of American advances in this field," Yuri Knutov told to media. - Because their country is protected by seas, the Americans depended on the development of fighter and bomber aircraft after WWII. We realized that bomber aviation might give us a lot of difficulty because of the length of our land boundaries and the existence of a big number of opponents, and we drew insights from the Korean War.
Anti-aircraft artillery, especially large-caliber anti-aircraft artillery, couldn't do the job. Several thousand rounds were required to defeat one jet aircraft, which is illogical. As a result, the subject of developing anti-aircraft guided missiles emerged. The first of these systems, the S-25 "Berkut," was deployed in Moscow's air defense system in 1955. These complexes grew after then. And the S-500 "Prometheus" is the peak of this sort of weapon's development.
- What distinguishes the S-500 from other models?
- "Prometheus" combines anti-aircraft and anti-missile capabilities. We constructed the S-300V military air defense complex using a similar concept. This facility has been proving its worth for the past 30 years. The S-500 operates on the same basis.
The anti-air component lets it to attack many sorts of aerodynamic targets, including airplanes and large drones. It employs missiles of several classes, ranging from short-range to ultra-long-range.
The anti-missile system is unusual in that it addresses the issue of eliminating both ballistic and hypersonic targets. We are the only ones who can shoot and hit hypersonic missiles, which we have and are quickly developing in the United States.
- Is this the major distinction between the S-500 and the Patriot and THAAD systems in the United States?
- These two American complexes each have their own set of challenges to tackle; they are not interchangeable in any way. Patriot can attack ballistic targets from altitudes of up to 30 kilometers, whereas THAAD can reach targets from 40 to 120 kilometers.
That is, it is essential to put these two complexes side by side in order to repel an attack by various means of aeronautical attack. It is both costly and illogical.
The S-500, on the other hand, is a universal, all-in-one system. It addresses all anti-air and anti-missile defense issues. The S-500 has a significant edge in this regard. This method is significantly less expensive than the one used in the United States.
Second, as previously stated, we can use anti-aircraft missiles of various ranges to combat aircraft. Antimissiles use either a high-explosive fragmentation warhead or a kinetic interception warhead based on the "bullet to bullet" concept, as the Americans use.
Satellites in low orbit can also be destroyed by the anti-missile system. Only THAAD systems are capable of this for the Americans.
The S-500 has already been deployed. I believe that is while she is on experimental combat duty. They will discover flaws, enhance things, and take into consideration some military requests. It will thereafter be put into service and assigned to combat duties. The entire facility is automated. The S-500 can be the leader in comparison to other anti-aircraft systems, such as the S-400, S-350 "Vityaz," S-300V4, "Pantsir-SM" of a new version, thanks to its sophisticated computer. That is, a deeply echeloned air and missile defense system may be built, effectively forming a "impenetrable umbrella."