Russia has finished developing its new air-space security complex, which is scheduled for activation at the start of December.
The system features next-generation missile launchers and fighter jets. What the new entity would look like in the future is still unknown. Its commander, Lieutenant General Valery Ivanov, says this will be decided by the country’s military chiefs.
The complex’s key task is to protect the capital and the central industrial regions.
In the future, the security complex will be developed even further. By 2015, the Russian Army will also get the S-500 surface-to-air missile system – a new generation of defense weaponry that is currently under development by the Almaz-Antey company.
“We will receive new radio technical equipment, new fighter jets, and new S-500 systems by 2015. These fifth-generation tools will form a shield over Moscow,” said Ivanov.
The system, which has a range of 600 kilometers, will be able to simultaneously track and destroy up to 10 ballistic missiles at a range of 3,500 kilometers.
The united air-space system was the idea of President Dmitry Medvedev. Back in November 2010, he ordered to bring together the air defense and missile defense systems, as well as the early missile warning and space control systems, under a unified command.
According to the military chief, aerospace defense currently covers two-thirds of the territory of the Russian Federation with its shield. Every day, around 800 people are on duty to ensure Moscow’s security.