¿Se prepara Rusia ya para un inminente enfrentamiento? ¿Por qué Moscú adelanta el despliegue del S-500 Prometheus?

Aunque en un principio el programa de armamento estatal preveía el despliegue y puesta en servicio del sistema de defensa aérea S-500 a partir de 2025, es posible sin embargo que el sistema llegue a las tropas mucho antes: Rusia está considerando ya la cuestión de cómo, cuándo y dónde desplegar el S-500 Prometheus.

A este respecto, se están barajando dos opciones para el despliegue del nuevo sistema antiaéreo: 

La primera opción, contempla no reequipar las unidades antiaéreas ya formadas con un nuevo sistema de defensa aérea, sino crear nuevos regimientos y brigadas, que recibirán el S-500.

La segunda opción prevé el rearme de las unidades antiaéreas ya existentes con el nuevo sistema de defensa aérea, sin crear otras nuevas unidades.

En ningún caso el S-500 Prometheus reemplazará los sistemas y complejos antiaéreos existentes, sino que los complementará, ocupando un nicho entre los sistemas de defensa aérea S-400 Triumph y los estacionarios. A-135.

Al mismo tiempo, el S-500 se convertirá en la base del nuevo sistema nacional unificado de defensa aérea y antimisiles (defensa aérea-defensa antimisiles) que se está creando en Rusia, ya que el S-500 Prometheus está concebido desde el principio para integrarse fácilmente en un solo sistema tanto con sistemas de defensa aérea de generaciones anteriores como con otros modelos de producción rusa.

Según la información disponible, el S-500 ofrecerá capacidades de defensa mejoradas contra misiles balísticos y satélites, y el conjunto mínimo de equipamiento para el S-500 Prometheus consistirá en un puesto de mando de combate con un sistema de control automático, un complejo de radares, un radar de "iluminación" multifuncional y hasta 12 lanzaderas de misiles.

Sobre la espinosa cuestión de "dónde" se desplegarán las primeras unidades, parece claro que las prioridades serían Moscú, la península de Crimea, y la región de Astrakhan: El sistema puede detectar objetivos a una distancia de hasta 2.000 kilómetros, pudiendo defenderse de bombarderos, aviones de reconocimiento o puestos de mando aerotransportados mediante el uso del misiles 40N6M, o llegar aún más allá al objeto de interceptar y destruir misiles balísticos o satélites mediante el uso de misiles 77N6-N y 77N6-N1.

En cualquier caso, este adelanto unido a las características particulares del S-500 refuerzan la opinión de que Moscú teme un ataque inminente a su territorio, por parte de un adversario que utilizará inicialmente medios aéreos concebidos para asestar golpes de precisión.

S-500: ¿An F-35 Killer?

Conceived as a weapon against ballistic missile threats—and apparently with a secondary capability against air targets—the S-500 uses the 77N6-N and 77N6-N1 kinetic kill missiles.

The missiles are capable of hitting their targets at 7 kilometers per second, which the Russians expect would be sufficient to destroy any incoming aerial target including satellites.

It apparently has the capability to engage targets as high as 124 miles—or 200 km or 656,000 feet— at ranges of 324 nautical miles or 600 km. It can engage as many as 10 incoming ballistic missiles simultaneously and has a response of less than 4 seconds.

¿Which types of missiles does use the S-500?

As Vladimir Karnozov at Aviation International News reported years back, the S-500 uses several types of missiles.

When used against air breathing targets, the S-500 can use the 48N6 family of missiles, which weight about two tons and have an effective range of up to 130 nautical miles (240 kilometers).

For longer-range targets, Karnozov reports that the system uses version of the 40N6 with higher performance. It also employs the shorter range and lighter weight 9M96 and 9M100 family missiles, which weigh 530 pounds (240 kg) and upwards.

¿For what purpose is designed the S-500?

The next generation weapon is designed to supplement Russia’s already potent S-400 and replace the A-135 anti-ballistic missile system.

Not only does the weapon have unprecedented capability to hit high altitude targets—including ballistic missiles and satellites—at extremely long ranges, there have been some claims—usually from the media—that the system could target stealth aircrafts.

However, while some analysts believe that might be theoretically possible, there has been nothing to substantiate that claim.

¿When will be deployed the S-500?

The system isn't scheduled to be deployed until next year - but it's already set records, and caused no shortage of consternation among Western defense planners.

¿Can the S-500 engage stealth aircrafts?

There are some reports that the S-500 can engage stealth aircrafts including the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter or any other low observable platform for that matter.

The Russians claim that the system can engage over the horizon and can be plugged into an air defense network—to include satellites: "It is safe to say already now that Russia has created the world's first multi-stage air defense system, that will reliably protect the country from massive missile strikes," Zvezda TV station stated. "The S-500 will analyze information about a possible missile attack obtained by early warning satellites and over-the-horizon radars, such as the Voronezh, as well as select targets, in terms of their importance, cut off false targets at a great distance, accompany all this and finally issue target designations to various systems."

¿Are there reasons to doubt the capabilities of Russian air defence systems?

While not all aspects of the S-500’s capabilities have been known to have been demonstrated by the West, there is little reason to doubt the capabilities of Russian air defense systems.

Indeed, according to U.S. defense sources, Russia has conducted tests of the S-500 system at ranges that were previously thought to be impossible. According to a CNBC report citing U.S. intelligence officials, “the S-500 surface-to-air missile system successfully struck a target 299 miles away, which the U.S. assessed is 50 miles further than any known test.”