Russia tests short-range anti-missile system

MOSCOW - Russia's Aerospace Defense Forces test-fired an anti-missile system Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said.

The short-range anti-missile missile was part of the Russian Missile Defense System, the ministry's spokesman Alexei Zolotukhin told reporters.

"The test was conducted at 12:01 Moscow time (0801 GMT) at Sary-Shagan firing range in Kazakhstan. During the test, the anti-missile missile successfully hit the target in the scheduled time," he said.

The spokesman said the test confirmed technical performance of the system, which the Aerospace Defense Forces had already put in service.

"The scientific and design works are underway to significantly improve the combat capabilities of the anti-missile defense system," he said.

The Russian Missile Defense System is an integral part of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which was founded in December 2011. Its objective is to identify and counter a possible nuclear-missile strike against governmental, industrial and military targets in Russia.

The Defense Ministry said the system will secure the country against new generation strategic ballistic missiles.