The Russian Armed Forces have reportedly made their first ever deployment of the S-500 lengthy vary air defence system to help the continued conflict effort in Ukraine, in line with a report by the top of the Ukrainian Defence Intelligence Directorate Lieutenant Normal Kyrylo Budanov. The system has reportedly been deployed in Kerch Metropolis close to the disputed Crimean Peninsula, primarily to guard the Kerch Strait Bridge which hyperlinks the territory to the Russian mainland. The $4 billion infrastructure challenge, accomplished in Could 2018, has been a major potential goal for Ukrainian and allied assaults, because of each its symbolic worth linking Crimea to mainland Russia, and to its navy significance permitting Russian forces to redeploy. Whereas Western sources have referred to as for assaults on the bridge since shortly after its building over six years in the past, a bombing of the bridge on October 8, 2022 took it out of fee for a number of hours and precipitated three deaths, which was rapidly commemorated in Kiev with a celebratory postage stamp. This was adopted by a Ukrainian drone boat assault on the bridge in July 2023, which additionally precipitated injury that was rapidly repaired.
Following a inexperienced mild from Washington to launch strikes deeper into Russian claimed territory, there was widespread hypothesis that Ukrainian forces, working with appreciable help from Western advisors on the bottom and intelligence assortment property within the air and in area, will try an assault on the Kerch Strait Bridge utilizing newly equipped Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) quick vary ballistic missiles. An extended vary variant of the ATACMS utilizing a single excessive explosive warhead, quite than cluster warheads, has lately begun to be operated and could be significantly effectively suited to such an assault. Whereas a spread of Russian missile techniques are able to intercepting quick vary ballistic missiles, the S-500 is very specialised as an anti-missile system and is extensively thought of essentially the most succesful floor primarily based asset of its time on the earth. Its potential to community with different techniques, and supply concentrating on information utilizing its significantly highly effective sensors, might enable the S-500 to contribute considerably to air defence efforts with out firing a shot.
The S-500 first entered service in 2021, following over half a decade of delays, and gives an extra layer to the Russian air defence community above the S-300V4 and S-400 techniques, however under the A-235 that protects Moscow from intercontinental vary ballistic missiles. Superior options the S-500 is prized for embrace its very excessive diploma of situational consciousness with an 800km detection vary towards plane, its potential to intercept satellites and ICBMs, and its potential to intercept targets at very excessive speeds reportedly together with hypersonic glide automobiles. Provision of an anti-ICBM functionality on a comparatively compact street cell system stays revolutionary and unprecedented, with the system’s entry into service anticipated to supply a brand new degree of safety to Russian cities significantly past Moscow – the one metropolis the place the A-235 might be deployed. The system in any other case significantly stands out for its unrivalled 600 kilometre engagement vary, with the S-500 optimised for participating excessive worth targets akin to strategic bombers and airborne early warning and management techniques. Whereas the ATACMS’ capabilities are much more primary than techniques which the S-500 was designed to have the ability to defeat – amongst them hypersonic glide automobiles – an illustration of those capabilities might result in additional deployments of the techniques within the theatre.
