Article Posted on : - May 07, 2009

A file photo of S-400 Triumf SAM system

MOSCOW (BNS): Russia will display its advanced S-400 Triumf air defense systems for the first time at its Victory Day parade on May 9.

The parade at Moscow's Red Square will have over 9,000 service personnel, 112 military vehicles and 70 aircraft, according to Ria Novosti.

The day Nazi Germany made its final surrender to the Soviet Union at the end of World War II is marked as “Victory Day” in Russia.

"Last year the S-300 air defense systems took part in the parade for the first time ever, and this year we will show the S-400," Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said in an interview with the Rossiiskaya Gazeta published on Thursday.

The S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler) air defense system is expected to form the new cornerstone of Russia's theater air and missile defenses up to 2020 or even 2025.

The Triumf S-400 is a new generation of air defense and theater anti-missile weapon; it includes radars capable of detecting low-signature targets. It can intercept targets with velocities of up to 4.8 km/sec, corresponding to a ballistic missile range of 3,500 km.

Russia has already deployed two missile regiments equipped with the S-400 system to protect the airspace surrounding Moscow and industrial zones in the center of Russia's European territory, the agency said.