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Russia tests new S-400 missile defense system MOSCOW — Russia is said to have tested a new system being marketed to the Middle East and capable of ballistic missile interception. The system is the S-400 Triumph, the successor of the S-300 and regarded as the most advanced anti-aircraft battery developed by Russia. The Triumph is said to be able to intercept both ballistic and cruise missiles. The test was conducted by two Russian firms, Almaz and Antei. The two companies have jointly developed and tested the S-400, the Moscow-based Military News Agency reports. Russian defense sources said the S-400 can destroy a range of missiles and aircraft. This includes the U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile. U.S. officials said Moscow is marketing the S-400 to several Middle East countries. These include Egypt, Greece, Iran and Libya. Russian officials have touted the S-400 as more capable than the U.S. PAC-3 system. In Washington, the Pentagon plans the next test of its missile interceptor. The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization will on July 14 launch a modified Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile from an air force base in California. Twenty minutes later, an interceptor missile carrying a prototype exoatmospheric kill vehicle will be launched from the Marshall Islands. An interception is expected 10 minutes later over the Pacific Ocean. This will be the fourth intercept test of the missile defense research and development program. The last two tests have failed. Meanwhile, the Bush administration is examining a proposal to invite additional contractors for the U.S. missile defense program. Officials said the Defense Department is considering alternatives to subsystems in a missile interceptor, which has failed in the last two launches. The current program is led by Boeing and Raytheon and officials are acknowledging that the engineering problems in the so-called kill vehicle are proving difficult to surmount. The missile defense program is said to be 18 months behind schedule. The prospect of additional contractors is being facilitated by administration plans to add $3 billion to missile defense in fiscal 2002. Boeing and the Pentagon's Ballistic Missile Defense Organization are examining which companies could join the program. The program is meant to defend against missiles by rogue states such as Iran, Iraq and North Korea. North Korea recently conducted a ground test on a rocket engine, a move that the Bush administration said does not violate previous commitments issued by Pyongyang. "They have recently, we believe, tested a motor engine, a rocket engine, and there is nothing in itself wrong with that," Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said. |
