Russia successfully tests new S-400 air defence system

Moscow, July 13 (UNI) Russia has successfully conducted the first live firing tests of its new S-400 Triumf air defence complex at a testing ground in southern Russia, its Air Force said today.

A basic firing exercise was conducted on July 12 and 13 at the Kapustin Yar firing range in the Astrakhan Region by an air defence regiment that will soon assume combat duty outside the Russian capital.

''The exercise was a success,'' the Air Force press service said in a statement, adding that the system destroyed all designated targets, the RIA Novosti reported.

The S-400 (NATO codename SA-21 Growler) is a new air defense missile system developed by the Almaz Central Design Bureau as an upgrade of the S-300 family.

It has been designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets at a distance of upto 400 kilometres, or twice the range of the US MIM-104 Patriot, and 2.5 times that of the S-300PMU-2.

Lieutenant General Alexander Gorkov, the Air Force air defence Chief said last week that Russia planned to deploy new air defence systems primarily around all strategically important administrative and political centres in two stages by 2015.

During the second stage, which starts in 2010, Russia will add modernised versions of the S-400, with enhanced characteristics in comparison to the current model, he said.

The system is reportedly highly capable of destroying stealth aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles with an effective range of up to 3,500 kilometres and speed of upto 4.8 kilometers per second.

The Russian Air Defence Forces, which are part of the Air Force, currently deploy more than 30 regiments equipped with S-300 (NATO reporting name SA-10 Grumble) missile complexes, which will be gradually replaced with S-400 systems.

UNI