Article Posted on : - Feb 21, 2011

The S-400 Triumf missile which has been deployed by Russia's aerospace defense troops.

MOSCOW (BNS): Russia will begin serial production of its next generation S-500 missile defence systems in 2014, according to a top defence official.

The new missile is presently under development and “by 2014, it should enter into serial production,” aerospace defence strategic commander Lt. Gen. Valery Ivanov was quoted as saying by Ria Novosti news agency.

Russia is developing the new “fifth-generation” surface-to-air missile system with an extended range of about 600 kilometers. The weapon will engage up to 10 targets simultaneously.

The S-500 will be a further advancement of the existing anti-missile weapons capable of intercepting and destroying hypersonic and ballistic missile targets.

“This system will be able to defend territories at heights of up to 50 kilometers,” the official said.