India may begin a formal review of the Russian S-500 air defense system amid S-400 delays.

India and Russia will open formal discussions on the S-500 air and missile defense system during the December 4, 2025, meeting in New Delhi, and both sides will also review S-400 delivery schedules and the potential purchase of Su-57 fighter jets by India.

As reported by the Times of India on November 29, 2025, India and Russia will open formal discussions on the S-500 air and missile defense system during the December 4 meeting in New Delhi between India's defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov. Both sides also review S-400 delivery schedules and, according to Bloomberg, the potential purchase of Su-57 fighter jets. India is also seeking additional S-400 units and has approved large orders of S-400 missiles, but simultaneously raised concerns about delayed deliveries, which Russia now says it will complete by November 2026.
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Russian officials describe the S-500 as suitable for the defence of key regions, large cities, industrial areas, and strategic sites against ballistic and hypersonic missiles, stealth aircraft, AWACSs, low-orbit satellites, and near-space objects. (Picture source: Russian MoD)

Until recently, India had shown limited interest in the S-500, although the system has been promoted by Russia for years, which even proposed a joint production. The decision to bring it into the December 4 discussions indicates that New Delhi is examining options for future upper-tier missile defence to complement its existing S-400 units in light of the evolution of Pakistan’s ballistic capabilities. Parallel reporting confirms that India plans to begin a dialogue on the S-500 and the Su-57 during President Vladimir Putin’s visit. India maintains decades of cooperation with Russia while diversifying with other suppliers, and the S-500 summit inclusion could reflect a long-term evaluation rather than an immediate procurement decision. However, this meeting could result in the first structured Indian examination of the S-500 air defense system, allowing both sides to exchange technical expectations, delivery timelines, financing requirements, and industrial considerations without reaching immediate contractual outcomes.

The S-500, designated 55R6M Triumfator-M or Prometheus, originated in 2002 when NPO Almaz detailed the requirements for a fifth-generation anti-aircraft missile system designed to counter ballistic missiles, aerodynamic targets, and selected near-space objects. Work continued from 2003 as the system’s configuration took shape, followed by the preliminary design in 2004 and subsequent research phases under Vlastelin and Samoderzhets as part of national industrial programs. In 2006, the Almaz Antey State Design Bureau was assigned the responsibility for the unified air defence missile system that included the S-500 as a core part of a multi-tiered structure. Between 2008 and 2010, various radar, guidance, and missile elements were created, including early versions of the 77T6 and 76T6 radars, subarrays for active phased-array antennas, and components for the 77N6 series interceptors.

From 2011 to 2013, prototypes and technical components such as the 60K6 combat control system, 55P6 launcher, and elements of the 85Zh6-1 and 77T6 systems were constructed and tested. Initial plans anticipated completion by 2015 with serial production in 2014 or 2015, although schedules shifted repeatedly as manufacturing expanded. By 2019, industrial authorities indicated their readiness for serial production, and by 2021, the first brigade set entered service with the Russian air and missile defence forces responsible for Moscow and central regions. In December 2024, the Russian general staff stated that the first regiment equipped with the S-500 was nearing completion for strategic missile defence roles.

The public presentation of the S-500 was made in August 2024, when the first image of an S-500 transporter erector launcher appeared during the Army 2024 exhibition near Moscow, showing a large wheeled launcher carrying two missile canisters. Russian authorities stated that the S-500 is designed to intercept hypersonic missiles traveling at speeds above Mach 5, stealth aircraft, ballistic missiles at extended ranges, and selected near-space objects, with simultaneous engagement capacity against up to 10 ballistic targets. Its integration with S-400, S-300, S-350, and Pantsir S systems allows layered defence and ensures that S-500 remains part of a wider architecture rather than a standalone system. Price comparisons place it above the cost range of the American THAAD battery, typically estimated between 1 and 1.5 billion dollars, and earlier statements have named Algeria, Belarus, China, India and Iran as potential future operators, although it was also indicated that early production is reserved for national deployment.

The S-500 is a long-range mobile air and missile defence system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at ranges up to 600 km and aerodynamic targets at extended distances while operating at altitudes up to approximately 200 km, depending on missile type. Its detection architecture includes several radars, among them the 91N6A(M) long-range surveillance radar and the 96L6-1 or 96L6-TsP all altitude detectors, together with optional 40V6MT masts to improve coverage and reduce masking. The 60K6 control system integrates the 55K6MA combat control post mounted on a BAZ-69092-012 chassis and is designed to coordinate fire missions, classify targets, and manage missile engagements.

Detection ranges for ballistic targets can approach 2,000 km according to available performance descriptions, while the S-500's aerodynamic target detection is cited in the 600 to 750 km band under certain configurations. The system can track large numbers of objects, with some forecasts indicating up to 500 aerospace tracks, and can monitor multiple interceptor missiles simultaneously. The S-500 will function within a broad integrated structure that includes earlier S-300s and S-400s, as well as other point defence layers, enabling a multi-tier protection of large regions, cities, industrial facilities, and strategic assets. Interoperable with national missile attack warning systems for early cueing, the S-500's reaction time is estimated at 3 to 4 seconds.

The S-500 fire component centers on the 98Zh6M1 anti-aircraft missile system, which employs the 76T6 and 77T6 multifunction radars and several classes of transporter erector launchers carrying multiple missile types. The 76T6 radar uses a BAZ-6909-022 8x8 chassis with a 500 hp engine and an active phased array antenna designed through the Triumfator-AAR-1 and Triumfator-M-TA-256 programs, while the 77T6 radar, on a BAZ-69096 10x10 chassis with a 550 hp engine, incorporates subarrays of 256 transmitter-receiver modules with dedicated cooling and power distribution. Launchers include the 77P6 with two canisters for long-range missiles, the 55P6 launcher developed during the Triumfator-M project, and the 51P6M launcher on the MZKT-7930 chassis.

The MZKT-792911 chassis, specifically created to host S-500 launchers, features a 12x12 wheel arrangement with multi-axle steering and a three-seat cabin with a filter ventilation unit. Additional vehicles, such as the MZKT-6922, can support auxiliary equipment. The BAZ-69096 chassis can carry loads up to 33,000 kg with a gross weight of 54,000 kg, can climb gradients up to 30 degrees, and ford 1.7 m, while the BAZ-6909-022 chassis carries up to 22,000 kg at a gross weight of 41,100 kg. This mobility ensures that S-500 batteries can disperse, reposition, and adjust to threat changes, while maintaining the capacity to engage targets at very long distances and high altitudes.

Missile types employed by the S-500 include the 9M96 and 9M96D short- to medium-range missiles, with ranges from 1 to 40 km and 1 to 120 km and a diameter of 240 mm with a 26 kg warhead, as well as the 48N6DM with a range of 3 to 250 km and a warhead of 143 kg. The 40N6 reaches approximately 400 km and can intercept targets at altitudes near 185 km, forming an extended layer for aerodynamic or high-altitude threats. The S-500’s most distinctive interceptors are the 77N6-N and 77N6-N1, with ranges of 500 to 600 km and intercept altitudes up to about 200 km, while targeting ballistic missiles traveling up to 7,000 m per second. These long-range missiles may weigh up to 4,000 kg and have lengths between 11 and 12 meters, enabling engagements outside the atmosphere. Additional missile types mentioned include the 45T6, described as capable of intercepting ballistic missiles with ranges up to 3,500 km, high-speed aerodynamic targets, airborne command posts, AWACS aircraft, and, in certain scenarios, low-orbit satellites or space-borne threats.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.