Russian Army to Get 200 Aircraft, 26 S-350 & S-400 Missile Systems to Counter 'Western' Threats

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin revealed Monday that the military will receive around 200 aircraft, 26 S-350 and S-400 air defense systems besides a number of new S500s in the coming years to counter NATO.

“This is required by the general military and political situation, including the growing intensity of NATO aviation flights near Russia, and the appearance of alliance ships with guided-missile weapons in the waters of the Baltic and Black Seas,” Putin told a meeting of the country's military chiefs in the coastal city of Sochi.

U.S. plans to deploy intermediate- and shorter-range missiles in Europe pose an additional "great danger and threat" to Russia, he added. “This is why, in accordance with the decisions made earlier, the Russian troops must additionally receive over 200 aircraft and 26 S-350 and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in the coming years and also the latest and first serial-produced S-500 anti-aircraft missile launchers,” Putin stated.

The Russian leader added that the country will increase the share of advanced weapons in the Russian air defense and anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defense troops to 80% by 2025-2027. "The existing pace of rearming the air defense and ABM defense troops will make it possible to bring up the share of advanced weapons and equipment to no less than 80% at the turn of 2025-2027," he was quoted as saying by government-owned TASS News Agency.

Special attention should be paid to developing a centralized aerospace defense command and control system, integrating reconnaissance and aerospace attack early warning subsystems into the single information space and deploying advanced space systems, Putin stressed. "An upgraded aerospace defense system must detect all types of hypersonic and ballistic targets at large distances and be capable of destroying them along the entire flight path," the Russian president said.