OK, This Is An Official WOW!!

Thanks to our common buddy WHAT who pointed this out. S-550 is officially in not just full rate production but is already combat deployed. You remember me telling for years that Russia is in revelation mode but S-550 makes even insane S-500 look like an underdog. Here is TASS:

МОСКВА, 29 декабря. /ТАСС/. Новая зенитная ракетная система (ЗРС) С-550 успешно прошла государственные испытания и заступила на боевое дежурство. Об этом ТАСС сообщил источник, близкий к военному ведомству. "ЗРС С-550 успешно завершила государственные испытания. Первая бригада С-550 заступила на боевое дежурство", - сказал он. По словам собеседника агентства, это - "абсолютно новая мобильная система стратегической ПРО, не имеющая аналогов, она способна поражать космические аппараты, боевые блоки межконтинентальных баллистических ракет, гиперзвуковые цели на высотах в несколько десятков тысяч километров".

Translation:  MOSCOW, December 29. / TASS /. The new S-550 anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) has successfully passed state tests and entered combat duty. This was reported to TASS by a source close to the defense ministry. "The S-550 air defense missile system has successfully completed state tests. The first S-550 brigade took up combat duty," he said. According to the interlocutor of the agency, this is "an absolutely new mobile strategic missile defense system, which has no analogues, it is capable of striking spacecraft, warheads of intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic targets at altitudes of several tens of thousands of kilometers."

OK, first things first--"several tens of thousands"? Typo, but even if typo and only several thousands kilometers into space it is mind-boggling still. Defies imagination, on the other hand with the range of 1000 kilometers against aerial targets and SU-57 (and S-70 Okhotnik) officially having the ability to guide air-defense missiles it has not just operational but strategic implications. The only question which comes next--is there S-600 (let's call it that) in works? Something tells me that it is. But having S-500 and S-550 in tandem together with other systems--this is groundbreaking. And Earth-shattering. This also explains why Russia is gladly selling S-400s, which is a stunner in its own right but pales compared to capabilities of S-550.  Russia closes not just the airspace over her (and allies) but space too.