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The S-500 Prometheus (Russian: C-500 Прометей), also known as 55R6M "Triumfator-M",[5] is a Russian surface-to-air missile/anti-ballistic missile system supplementing the S-400 and the A-235 ABM missile system.[6] The S-500 was developed by the Almaz-Antey Air Defence Concern. Initially planned to be in production by 2014, the first unit entered service in 2021 with the 15th Aerospace Army.[7][8][9] Russia claims that the S-500 is capable of intercepting all types of modern hypersonic weapons, and has claimed to have successfully tested such capability.[4][10][unreliable source?] Russia is reportedly planning to deploy the S-500 alongside the planned[11] S-550 missile system as part of its air defense network.[12][3]
| S-500 Prometheus C-500 Прометей | |
|---|---|
 Launch vehicle of the S-500 air defense system | |
| Type | Mobile surface-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | Russian Federation |
| Service history | |
| In service | 16 September 2021 |
| Used by | Russian Space Forces |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Almaz-Antey |
| Manufacturer | Almaz-Antey |
| Unit cost | $2.5 billion[1] |
| Produced | 2021–present |
| No. built | 1 S-500 regiment in service[2][3] |
| Specifications | |
Operational range | 600 km[4] |
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According to the original plans, ten S-500 battalions were to be purchased for the Russian Aerospace Defense (VKO) under the State Armament Programme 2020 (GPV-2020).[13]
As of 2013, the S-500s were intended to work in parallel with S-400s, and the systems together were planned to replace most of the S-300 missile systems.[14] The first units are planned to be deployed around the Moscow oblast and the country's central area in 2025.[6] A naval version is the likely armament for the new Lider-class destroyer, which was to enter service after 2020 but was not operational as of 2022.[15]
CEO of Rostec Corporation Sergey Chemezov declared the beginning of S-500 production on 30 June 2019. Despite that, serial production of the first 10 systems (ordered in late 2020) only began in 2021.[16][17] In summer 2020 Sergei Surovikin, the commander of the Aerospace Forces, seemed to confirm that the S-500 system can be used to kill satellites.[18]
A new contract was signed in August 2022.[19] In October 2023, Defense News claimed that production of S-500 remained behind, being negatively affected by the sanctions against Russia and labor shortages.[1]
The cost for one S-500 system was estimated be around $700-$800 million in 2020, and up to $2.5 billion in 2023.[1]
Testing
In May 2018, Russia conducted the longest range surface-to-air missile test to date with the S-500. According to reports citing unnamed sources familiar with U.S. intelligence on the program, the S-500 was able to hit a target 482 km (300 mi) away, which is 80 km further than the previous record.[20]
In July 2021, the Russian MOD released the first public footage of a live-fire test of the new S-500 anti-ballistic missile system at Kapustin Yar.[21]
Operational history
The first S-500 prototype went on combat duty in Moscow on 13 October 2021.[12] However, it did not yet meet the full set of requirements specified by its operator, the 1st Special Purpose Air and Missile Defense Army.[1] In June 2024, Ukraine claimed the S-500 had been deployed to the Crimean peninsula to defend the Kerch Bridge.[22] In its operational debut in Ukraine, the S-500 proved unsuccessful in defending against Ukrainian launched MGM-140 ATACMS missiles.[23]
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The S-500 is designed for intercepting and destroying ballistic missiles, as well as hypersonic cruise missiles and aircraft.[24] With a planned range of 600 km (370 mi) for anti-ballistic missile (ABM) and 500 km (310 mi) for air defense,[25] the S-500 was envisaged to be able to detect and simultaneously engage up to 10 ballistic hypersonic targets flying at up to a maximum of 7 km/s (4.3 mi/s).[26] The altitude of a target engaged is claimed to be as high as 180–200 km (110–120 mi).[27] However, as of 2023, the S-500's ability to intercept hypersonic missiles had not yet been tested.[1] Other targets it has been announced to defend against include unmanned aerial vehicles, low Earth orbit satellites, space weapons launched from hypersonic aircraft, and hypersonic orbital platforms.[28] It is to have a response time of less than 4 seconds (compared to the S-400's of less than 10).[29]
Components
The S-500 consists of:[30]
- 77P6 launch vehicle, based on the BAZ-69096 10x10 truck
- 55K6MA and 85Zh6-2 command posts, based on BAZ-69092-12 6x6
- 91N6A(M) acquisition and battle management radar, a modification of the 91N6 (Big Bird) towed by the BAZ-6403.01 8x8 tractor
- 96L6-TsP acquisition radar, an upgraded version of the 96L6 (Cheese Board) on BAZ-69096 10x10
- 76T6 multimode engagement radar on BAZ-6909-022 8x8
- 77T6 ABM engagement radar on BAZ-69096 10x10
The missiles used by the system are:[31][32]
- 40N6M - anti-aircraft role
- 77N6 / 77N6-N1 - anti-ballistic or anti-satellite role
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In September 2021, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said that India could be a prospective, and probably the first, S-500 customer.[33][34][35][36][37]
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- List of medium-range and long-range SAMs
- A-135 anti-ballistic missile system
- A-235 anti-ballistic missile system
- Arrow (Israeli missile)
- Comparison of anti-ballistic missile systems
- Ground-Based Midcourse Defense
- Medium Extended Air Defense System
- S-300VM missile system
- Vityaz missile system
- THAAD
- HQ-19 – (China)
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