The Russian Aerospace Forces are expecting the appearance of new models of the S-500 air defense systems soon, Russian Aerospace Forces Vice Commander Lt.-General Viktor Gumenny said.

“We are expecting the first models of the S-500 air defense systems very soon,” Gumenny said on Russia’s Rossiya-24 television.

The Russian Armed Forces are reportedly planning to purchase ten S-500 battalions.

Russia’s newest S-500 Prometey system, which is expected to begin tests shortly, will be a major upgrade to the state-of-the-art S-400 complex and will, according to member of the advisory council of the Military-Industrial Commission Viktor Murakhovsky, be second to none.

“The S-500 has world-beating characteristics: it can engage air attack weapons, as well as ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles. In addition, the system provides space defense since it can engage targets in near space, at an altitude of up to 200 kilometers (124 miles),” Viktor Murakhovsky, member of the advisory council of the Military-Industrial Commission said.

Designed by Almaz Antey, the cutting-edge S-500 is said to have a maximum range of 600 kilometers (more than 370 miles).

The highly-mobile system could simultaneously intercept up to ten ballistic missiles traveling at a speed of 5 kilometers per second.