The Russian missile developer Almaz Antei is broadening its research and development capabilities in an effort to meet the development challenges of the ‘fifth generation air defense system’. Two month ago Almaz Antei concern was named by the Russian military industrial commission as the main contractor for the system. The concern will be integrating eleven new government owned enterprises, mainly electronic producers, bringing the number of enterprises under its control to 57. According to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, a new design bureau will be set up for the development of the system. No new developmental design bureau has been set up in the country since the 1980s. The new system pursued by Almaz Antei will be developed as a networked defense system providing nation wide coverage, and will also have the capability to intercept objects in space.
The first Russian air defense regiment equipped with S-400 (Triumf also known as S-300 PMU3 or SA-21) ground-to-air missile systems will become operational with the Moscow Region in July 2007. The Russian Air Force currently deployed more than 30 regiments equipped with S-300 (ANtey 2500/S-300V also known as SA-12) missile complexes, which will be gradually replaced with S-400 systems.
Almaz-Antei, one of Russia’s largest defense-industry holdings, specializes in the development of air defense missile systems is the developer of the S-300 Favorit (SA-10), S-400 Triumf, SA-3 Pechora-2A ,SA-17 Buk-M1 and SA-15 Tor-M1 ground-to-air missile systems.
