This August new S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile complexes are to go on duty to defend Moscow airspace, says Colonel-General Yury Solovyev (left).
Photo: Mikhail Pochuev
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Moscow Missile Forces Test Fire at Hijacked Jet
Moscow Region-based anti-aircraft missile forces have held a mock operation to strike a passenger plane hijacked by terrorists, Interfax reported Thursday, quoting a high-ranking military official.
Russia adopted a bill last year to permit missile forces to strike jets hijacked by terrorists. In a recent military exercise, anti-aircraft missile forces have fired a missile at a hijacked plane. Commander of the Special-Purpose Command Forces Colonel-General Yury Solovyev emphasizes that missiles will be employed only when hijackers are to be clearly going to strike an object.
This August new S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile complexes will go on duty to defend Moscow airspace, Colonel-General Solovyev told Interfax. The systems can also be used for defense in near space. They are not designed to strike intercontinental ballistic missiles, the colonel-general underscored.
S-400 missiles are to take place of the S-300 and S-200 complexes. It is of note that one S-400 complex is able to substitute three old systems. Triumph surpasses all similar anti-aircraft missile systems and can potentially become the backbone of the Russian missile shield. S-400 may also be used in creating the European anti-aircraft defense system though the final decision has not been taken yet.
www.kommersant.com
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