US intelligence report: The S-500 is too terrifying.
The CIA report indicated that the S-500 would render US Air Forces around the world completely uncontrollable by the Russian system.
Just days after President Putin announced that Russia's next-generation Almaz Antey S-500 air defense system had entered mass production, US intelligence reports have begun to reveal information about the results of testing the new Russian military weapon system.
The S-500 is a surface-to-air missile system with an extremely long operational range, promising up to 600 km. For comparison, the S-400 is limited to a range of 400 km, while the US THAAD system, considered equivalent to the S-500, has an operational range of less than 200 km.
The system is designed to destroy enemy ballistic missiles, including hypersonic missiles, advanced combat aircraft, including airborne early warning and control systems (AWACS), and airborne command centers.
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| The US THAAD system is considered no match for Russia's S-500. |
In addition, a special variant dedicated to an anti-aircraft role is expected to be developed in the future.
According to a US intelligence report, cited by US media but without specifying the source, the S-500 system successfully tested the detection of airborne targets at a range of 299 miles (or 481 km), setting a new world record compared to previous missile systems.
However, this range is still relatively modest considering the design specifications previously planned for the S-500.
If Russia deploys S-500 missiles to the Kaliningrad region, it could intercept hostile targets across Poland and much of Germany, including Berlin.
Furthermore, if deployed to the Far East, the S-500 could seriously impact US military operations from bases in Japan and South Korea.
The S-500, along with the R-37 long-range air-to-air missiles equipped on MiG-31 fighter jets specifically used for anti-AWACS missions, will be a key factor in prompting the US Air Force to "retire early" its support aircraft.
The E-8 aircraft of the Joint STARS target surveillance radar system is one example.
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| Long-range strategic bombers like the B1-B Lancer would be rendered useless against the S-500. |
According to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, the E-8 is virtually useless in a major war against advanced military power. Wilson stated before a Senate subcommittee in early May, "Russian and Chinese air-to-air missiles have a longer range, and our aircraft would be shot down on the first day of conflict."
Meanwhile, the threat to the U.S. military's AWACS aircraft and aerial refueling aircraft will be greatly increased. Both play a crucial role in air combat operations; without them, the survivability of fighter aircraft would be significantly reduced.
American long-range strategic bombers such as the B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress are also extremely vulnerable, and their effectiveness would be significantly reduced if modern escort fighter jets were unlikely to counter missile systems like the S-500.
Therefore, according to the CIA, if the S-500 is deployed, US Air Force operations worldwide will be severely affected by Russia's "terrifying" air defense system.
