"It happened this morning at the Kapustin Yar firing range. According to unconfirmed reports, he died of heart failure," the spokesman said.
Alexander Lemansky was the chief designer at the Almaz Scientific Production Association. He was born May 24, 1935 in Moscow.
In 1959, he graduated from the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. A Doctor of Engineering and professor, from 1958-2001 Lemansky worked for the Almaz Central Design Bureau designing the S-300 and S-400 AD systems.
He was a holder of the Distinguished Scientist Award of the Russian Federation, the USSR State Prize winner (1978), and the USSR Academy of Science Prize winner (1986).
The S-400 is designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles), or twice the range of the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot, and 2.5 times that of the S-300PMU-2.
The system is believed to have high capability to destroy stealth aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles with an effective range of up to 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles), and a speed of up to 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) per second.
Experts believe that the ability to intercept and destroy cruise missiles and ballistic missiles makes the S-400 Triumf a crucial part of theater missile defenses.
A regular S-400 battalion comprises at least eight launchers and 32 missiles and a mobile command post, according to various sources.
The ADS is believed to form the new baseline for Russian air defense up to 2020 or even 2025.
The S-400 was first demonstrated at MAKS-2007, an aviation exhibition held in the town of Zhukovsky, in the Moscow Region, this year.
