Russian Air Force Receives First S-350 Vityaz Air Defense Systems - Ministry

Russian Air Force Receives First S-350 Vityaz Air Defense Systems - Ministry

The first S-350 Vityaz medium-range air defense missile systems have been added to the Russian air force's arsenal, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday

GATCHINA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th February, 2020) The first S-350 Vityaz medium-range air defense missile systems have been added to the Russian air force's arsenal, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

In mid-January, the ministry said that Russia's Leningrad region would be the first to host the air defense missile systems.

"The first newest S-350 Vityaz air defense missile systems have been added to the Russian air force's arsenal. [The systems] have recently been deployed to the training center of the anti-aircraft missile forces in Gatchina [a city in the Leningrad region]," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry added that the center had already run tests with the S-350 aimed at detecting and destroying conventional hostile aircraft.

According to the ministry, the air defense missile systems will help make the air force two times more effective in countering cruise missile strikes and replace the older S-300PS system.

The S-350 was developed by the Almaz-Antey concern and first showcased at the International Military-Technical Forum Army-2019.