Russia May Export New S-500 Missile Systems to India and China

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia may supply its cutting-edge S-500 anti-aircraft missile systems to India and China in the future, Dmitry Shugaev, the director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), has said.

"We are considering India, as well as China and all the states with which we have a longtime partnership and predictable mutual relations, as future owners of this cutting-edge system", Shugaev said in an interview with the RBC news outlet, adding that the FSMTC will consider each potential request individually.

The S-500 Prometey is a next-generation surface-to-air missile system with a range of around 600 kilometres (370 miles), designed for intercepting and destroying intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as hypersonic cruise missiles and aircraft.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that the country's military will soon receive the first batch of S-500 missiles system. According to Shugaev, once enough of those systems are supplied to the nation's armed forces, Russia may export them to other countries.