At the center of Russia’s desires to revamp its air and missile defense lies the S-500 Prometheus. Promoted as a single system capable of intercepting anything starting from cruise missiles and ballistic missiles and ending with hypersonic threats—even satellites in low Earth orbit—the S-500 is both a technological milestone and a clear message from Moscow that it aims to adapt to the changing threat landscape.
The functions that lie just on paper are quite impressive. News emanating from Russia indicates that it might be able to attack a target at 600 kilometers away and can even go up to 200 kilometers in height, although some updated studies have stated that these figures may be a bit too optimistic.
Several types of missiles are used by the system to cover such a wide range. The 40N6M missile, which is already being used with the S-400, can destroy flying objects and cruise missiles from around 400 kilometers away. At the same time, newly built 77N6 and 77N6-N1 missiles are made for getting hold of satellites and ballistic threats that are placed at loftier altitudes. Having such an armory enables the S-500 to be adaptable enough to deal with the entire range of aerial threats, which is very important in a present-day complicated war zone.
The project has been full steam ahead since 2010, supported by a lot of state funds that were dedicated to building up production facilities and the incorporation of the system in the Russian State Armament Program. However, the development has not been smooth sailing throughout the time frame. Hardly any deployment happened after a 2018 call for mass production, although sanctioned and pirated supply lines and a lack of skilled workers have been some of the major causes of slowness in reaching the destination.
The engineers at Almaz-Antey have also accused equipment breakdowns and a lack of parts (mainly foreign-sourced electronics) as ongoing obstacles. Whereas production of missiles for old systems like the S-400 has gone well, the development of the most advanced radars and launch vehicles for the S-500 has encountered incomplete processes.
Although with limited functionality, they were shipped in 2021 to the troops that were to defend Moscow. Most importantly, these preliminary models lacked the necessary interceptors that could aim at targets in space besides satellites; thus, the system was not able to attain its maximum potential. Since the conflict in Ukraine, production has been centered most on systems directly supporting current combat needs, while projects like the S-500 have been somewhat deprioritized.
There are still doubts about the performance of this system. The Russian point of view is represented here by such as Pavel Luzin, who is with the Center for European Policy Analysis program, and Russian analysts. They say that the American missile defense system, like THAAD rather than the S-500, will be dramatically surpassed. In their attack, the critics focus on the nonexistent 77N6 interceptors and the persistent problem with Russia’s electronics sector and say that without better components, the system might find it hard to attain those high capabilities as claimed.
At the same time, the Prometheus is an absolutely great progress when compared to the old Russians’ defense. The S-500 is transported on huge 10×10 transporter-erector-launchers, which make fast redeployment possible and thus increase survivability, unlike the silo-based and nuclear-capable A-135 system, which has been the guardian of Moscow for many years. It has been designed as a complement to and eventually as a successor of the S-400, which has been the mainstay of Russian as well as the air defense of the allies. The fact that Turkey is among the interested countries shows that it might become a matter of export, and thus, it must be attractive.
The S-500 was one of the most prominent characters in the scene during the tests, including those ballistic missile targets’ engagements at the Kapustin Yar range. The Russians say it is a unique system in the world without any equivalents, and it is very powerful as it can simultaneously battle with the already existing as well as the new types of aerospace threats. Nevertheless, critics warn that, currently, successfully carrying out real operations such as intercepting hypersonic weapons under combat conditions has not yet been attained and is awaited during true-world tests.
On the way, Russia has been talking about its new program called S-550, a system that is going to be able to detect and engage at even further distances, possibly making S-500 its successor. They say it will be a system with better power against hypersonic missiles and satellites, but the only evidence that actually shows its progress is still tentative.
Moreover, the story regarding S-500 pretty much reflects the situation with Russia’s overall defense synthesis mission: Exorbitant plans, few downsides, and still the recurring miracles of limited money and technological expertise. That notwithstanding, the system is easy to discern and is sending a very clear message to those in the know: Moscow is determined to stay with the changing threats and therefore make the sky battle possible for it, whether Prometheus be the case of one of those mythic, like or not.