The Russian military has reportedly received a “fifth generation” weapon – but there are a few important details

The missiles for the S-500 are the 40N6M, the same ones used in the S-400 system. The system can also be armed with 77N6-N missiles, which are a slightly more powerful version of the 9M82 missiles used in the S-300V system.

The task of “40N6” is to shoot down aerodynamic targets, the declared range of the missile is 380 km, but in order to reach it, it is necessary to use A-50 planes for launch.

The task of the 77N6-N is to combat ballistic missiles. Its declared operating range is exceptional – up to 500-600 km, but these figures are not so significant, since the main function of this missile is not to hit far, but to act as an anti-missile weapon.

While the Russians claim that the S-500 is supposedly capable of intercepting targets in space, these claims are highly questionable, as the 77N6-N’s specifications indicate that the missile has no interception capabilities in the exosphere. The description of the S-500 also states that the task of the anti-aircraft defense system is to intercept ballistic missiles already in the atmosphere.

The S-500 system is generally not very impressive. According to Unian, this missile system is Russia’s attempt to develop and put into operation a complex in several decades, the capabilities of which are already in doubt, since at best it is an attempt to create something similar to the American THAAD, only with a 30-year delay.

It is noted that the development of the complex began in 2002, but the development of the S-500 was constantly delayed. Testing of the system was to take place between 2010 and 2015, and mass production was to begin in 2014. But eventually things moved forward 10 years.

It is important to remind that the delivery of this missile system to the Russian army was already announced for the first time in 2021. in September, as soon as its tests were officially completed, but it seems that the military never received the system.

In addition, three years ago, Russia announced that Almaz-Antey, the developer of the S-500, had received a contract for 10 such systems, with a supply plan to start from 2022. the first half of the year. However, apparently something traditionally went wrong, writes Defense Express.