MOSCOW, June 29 (AVN) - The new S-400 Triumph air defence missile system fully matches all calculated characteristics in the course of the state tests that are currently underway at the southern Russian Kapustin Yar testing ground, Alexander Lemansky, constructor-general of the Almaz central design bureau, said on Thursday.
The new system's killing zone and firing range twice exceed those of the previous device, Lemansky told the Military News Agency. Besides, it ensures effective hitting of ballistic-type targets flying at top speed, he added.
The latest achievements in radiolocation and radioelectronics, such as the most up-to-date components, microwave devices, and phased-array radar, are used in S-400's design, the constructor stressed. It enabled the constructors to create an air defence missile system with characteristics surpassing all foreign analogues, including US Patriot-3.
Triumph is capable of accomplishing both air defence and non-strategic ABM missions. It can easily be integrated in the current Russian air defence structure where S-300PMU-1, S-300PMU2 Favorit and other air defence missile systems are employed.
The system is expected to end tests and debugging by the end of 2000, so that it could be supplied to the troops next year, Air Force Commander Anatoly Kornukov said. The service tests will take place in the 1st corps of the Moscow Air Force and Air Defence district. Its crews have already started a retraining course, the commander added.
According to the Air Force Staff, S-400 Triumph will make 20 combat launches in the course of its state tests. This number is less than moderate given that S-300 and its modifications made over 200 launches and S-300PMU about 100.
Military experts said that such reduction is cased primarily by redirecting the most of attention to ground tests of the system, not only the limited financing of the project. S-400 developers have modern simulator benches that fully simulate the flight of the missile and the point where it hits the target, thus helping the state save money on the missile systems development.