“Next year, it is planned to begin preliminary tests of the S-500 air defense system, the first production model of which is scheduled for delivery in 2025,” he said, Sputnik reported.

Production of the system, most of whose characteristics remain strictly under wraps, began earlier this year, with the S-500 anti-aircraft missile now undergoing testing by the military, and mass production currently expected to start in the second half of 2020.

Earlier, Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Russian defense industry giant Rostec, said that once the S-500’s production begins, the first priority will be to equip the Russian military.

In May 2018, Russia conducted the longest range surface-to-air missile test to date with the S-500. According to reports citing unnamed sources familiar with U.S. intelligence on the program, the S-500 was able to hit a target just shy of 300 miles (482 km) away, which is some 50 miles further than the previous record.

The S-500 is a new-generation surface-to-air missile system. It is designed for intercepting and destroying intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as hypersonic cruise missiles and aircraft, for air defense against Airborne Early Warning and Control and for jamming aircraft.

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