A Russian serviceman walks past S-400 missile air defense systems in Tverskaya Street in central Moscow, Russia April 29, 2019. (Photo: Agencies)

MOSCOW - Russia will start preliminary tests of its latest S-500 Prometheus air defense system in 2020, Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko said Saturday.

The first production model is expected to be delivered in 2025, Krivoruchko told the ministry's official newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda in an interview.

According to the report, the S-500 system is designed to intercept long- and medium-range ballistic missiles as well as warplanes.

The system is an upgraded version of the current S-400 Triumph system, which is capable of destroying targets at a distance of up to 400 km and a height of up to 30 km.