Russia has brought out its S-500, an 'experimental' weapon it's never used before, Ukrainian spy chief says as Ukraine hunts air defenses in Crimea

Chris Panella
Fri, 14 June 2024 

Russia has brought out its S-500, an 'experimental' weapon it's never used before, Ukrainian spy chief says as Ukraine hunts air defenses in Crimea


Russia deployed its only S-500 air defense system in Crimea amid Ukrainian strikes.


The system is "experimental," Ukraine's spy chief said, and has never been used before in combat.


Ukraine has upped its attacks in Crimea, likely hoping to destroy Russia's air defenses in the area.

Russia has deployed its only S-500 air defense system in Crimea as Ukraine ups its attacks on the occupied peninsula, Ukraine's spy chief said this week.

The S-500, an advanced system described by Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate as "experimental," has never been used in combat before.

Russia moved the S-500 to protect the Kerch Bridge, as well as strengthen Russia's air defense network in occupied Crimea, Budanov said Wednesday. The 12-mile-long bridge, which connects mainland Russia to occupied Crimea, is both a streamlined way for Russian forces to reach the area, as well as a symbol of Russia's control of the peninsula.

It's repeatedly been a target for Ukraine's drone boats, bombs, and strikes. Russian air defense assets have also been targets, especially in recent weeks.

Explosion causes fire at the Kerch bridge in the Kerch Strait, Crimea on October 08, 2022. A fire broke out early Saturday morning on the Kerch Bridge -- preceded by an explosion -- causing suspension of traffic and bringing bus and train services to a halt.Vera Katkova/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The S-500, called the Prometheus, is a mobile, surface-to-air defense system designed to intercept ballistic missiles and other ranged weapons. The system is "essentially a modernized version of the S-300," the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington DC-based think tank, said Thursday.

The S-500 has been tested multiple times but has never been in combat before. Russia has claimed it's able to intercept all weapons, including hypersonic missiles, which are extremely fast and fly unpredictable paths at low altitudes, but that capability remains unclear.

Russia has previously claimed missiles were hypersonic that weren't and that weapons were unbeatable that also were not.


The S-500's problematic development and production, from the project's start in 2010 to severe delays over the following decade, raised questions about its viability as a system. It was delivered to the armed forces in 2021, though in a limited state unable to meet the requirements for the system.

In April 2024, then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that it would enter battle in one of two variations: missile defense and an anti-aircraft role.

Russian troops with new S-400 surface-to-air missile systems after their deployment at a military base outside the town of Gvardeysk in Kaliningrad on March 11, 2019.REUTERS/Vitaly Nevar

The S-500's new role protecting the Kerch Bridge and bolstering Russian air defense capabilities in Crimea comes as Ukraine conducts strikes on the peninsula aimed at making the area untenable for the Russian military.

Since late May, attacks in the area, particularly targeting Russia's air defenses, have intensified. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have reported major strikes, including one this week, hitting S-300 and S-400 systems.

Ukraine is suspected of using US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, for these strikes, among other capabilities.

As Ukraine continues to target air defenses on the peninsula, Russia may deploy more of its air defense assets there, ISW said, "making them vulnerable to further Ukrainian strikes." A fight of this nature could strain and deplete Russia's air defense arsenal.

An Army Tactical Missile System during live-fire testing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on December 14, 2021White Sands Missile Range/John Hamilton

"ISW previously assessed that Ukrainian forces may be conducting an organized effort to degrade Russian air defenses, which could enable Ukraine to more effectively leverage manned fixed-wing airpower (namely using F-16 fighter jets) in the long term," the think tank wrote.

Ukraine's strikes into Crimea have long been supported by the US and Western allies but come on the heels of US President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders agreeing — in some cases, reluctantly — to let Ukraine use long-range weapons to strike Russian targets in occupied territory.

Per ISW, Ukraine could "in principle" replicate the success of their Crimea strikes in other occupied areas should Western allies approve such strikes, creating opportunities for Ukraine and degrading Russia's capabilities.


Ukraine's use of a Patriot missile system to down Russia's prized A-50 spy plane was 'historic,' said a US air defense officer

Cameron Manley
Sat, 15 June 2024 

Ukraine's use of a Patriot missile system to down Russia's prized A-50 spy plane was 'historic,' said a US air defense officer


Ukraine used a Patriot missile to down a prized Russian A-50 spy plane earlier this year.


The hi-tech A-50 is crucial for Russia's early warning, command, and control during air operations.


A senior US officer called the destruction of the A-50 a 'SAMbush.'

A senior US Army officer has confirmed that Ukraine used a Patriot missile system to down a Russian A-50 spy plane back in January.

Speaking at the Fires Symposium event last month, Colonel Rosanna Clemente, the assistant chief of staff of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said that Patriot launchers were "being used to protect static sites and critical national infrastructure" in Ukraine.

"Others are being moved around and doing some really historic things that I haven't seen in 22 years of being an air defender. And one of them is a 'SAMbush,'" she said, referring to surface-to-air missile ambushes that Ukrainians have been performing.

"They're doing that with extremely mobile Patriot systems that were donated by the Germans because the systems are all mounted on the trucks."

She added that Ukrainian anti-aircraft teams used this tactic "to engage the first A-50 C2 system back in January."

On the same day, Ukraine also claimed to have shot down an Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command post.

Ukraine used a Patriot to down the A-50 spy plane in January 2024.Anthony Sweeney/US Army

The A-50, produced by manufacturer Beriev, is a crucial spy plane that allows Russia to detect incoming Ukrainian missiles and identify ground targets. The aircraft can also act as a mobile command-and-control center to direct Russia's air strikes and other attacks. It has a range of over 3,000 miles and can stay airborne for about eight hours.

The plane has been a "key enabler for Russian operations over Ukraine providing airborne early warning of threats as well as command and control functionality," according to British intelligence.

Ukraine claimed it downed a second A-50 in February, though it is not yet clear what weapons were used in this instance.

Russia now only has around 5 operational A-50s left, reports say.

In March, Ukraine also attempted to strike the Beriev manufacturing plant where Russia refurbishes and modernizes its A-50s, the think tank the Institute for the Study of War said.

Russian sources claimed that the plant was repairing an A-50 that had been previously damaged in a drone attack.