S-400 anti-aircraft system during rehearsal for 2018 Victory Day parade

Moscow is protected by a state-of-the-art air defense system, which adopts the most modern weaponry available and can intercept any incoming targets, a top commander said amid celebrations of the 100-year anniversary of the unit.

“System of air and missile defence of Moscow and the central industrial district is unique, there’s only one such system in the world. It’s able to automatically warn of a missile attack, detect all the means an adversary uses in time, and, moreover, effectively intercept all the spectre of targets – from cruise to ballistic missiles,” deputy chief of Air and missile defence troops Lieutenant General Viktor Gumenniy told reporters on Saturday.

The top military official attended an event in Patriot Park outside Moscow, which marked the 100-year anniversary of Moscow’s anti-air defense forces, as well as the 65-year jubilee of the 4th and 5th anti-aircraft divisions. Modern weaponry, used by Moscow’s 1st Air and Missile Defense Army, were paraded in front of the spectators and put on display in the park.

Among the displayed systems, there was the cutting-edge S-400 ‘Triumf’ anti-aircraft missile launchers, close-range Pantsir-S systems, as well as the eyes and ears of the air-defence troops – mobile radar units of various capabilities.

Some 2,000 military and civil specialists work daily to ensure that the skies of Moscow are safe from any threats. The 1st Army not only protects Moscow, which houses the key political and military structures of the country, but also the whole so-called “central industrial region,” covering a large area in central Russia.

The 1st Army is usually the first unit to lay hands on the most modern weapons, testing them and providing valuable feedback to manufacturers, according to Gumenniy. So far, the unit has five full regiments using the most modern anti-aircraft missile system, the S-400 Triumf.

The S-400 is the most advanced Russian anti-aircraft system, capable of engaging aerodynamic targets at a range of up to 400 km and ballistic missiles up to 60 km away. The system can utilise at least four different interceptor missile types, suited to different targets. One S-400 unit can engage some 36 targets simultaneously.