BANGALORE /India/, February 16. /TASS/. Russia’s latest S-350 Vityaz surface-to-air missile system will be cheaper than the US-made Patriot and is capable of striking targets more accurately, Head of the Military-Political Analysis Bureau Alexander Mikhailov told TASS at the Aero India 2023 international air show on Thursday.

"The American equipment is always more overestimated. The Vityaz will be far cheaper in its cost than the similar Patriot system. It is far more advantageous to buy Vityaz systems as Russia is a considerably more reliable partner than the US," the expert explained.

The Vityaz anti-aircraft missile system can be compared to the US-made Patriot in terms of operational characteristics. However, Russian missiles fly faster and have the capability of striking low-flying targets, he said.

"The Patriot does not shoot down targets flying at an altitude of lower than 100 meters whereas the Vityaz knocks out targets at an altitude of 10 meters and higher," the expert stressed.

The Vityaz export version is popular at the Aero India 2023 air show and will evoke the interest of potential buyers in Asia, he pointed out.

"India is traditionally our serious partner in anti-missile and air defense and they buy our military hardware well. India is in first place among our military-technical partners in terms of the contracts signed and, therefore, I believe that the Vityaz will also evoke great interest of our potential buyers on the Asian market. The task of this system is to be our major brand for export sales," the expert said.

A representative of the Design Bureau of Russia’s Almaz-Antey aerospace defense manufacturer earlier told TASS at the Aero India 2023 air show that the Vityaz air defense system in its export configuration held good prospects on any world market of advanced armaments.

"The system boasts excellent target detection, tracking and destruction capabilities in its class," he explained.

Aero India 2023

The 14th Aero India international air show is running at Yelahanka Air Force base in Bangalore in southern India on February 13-17. The India air show is held once every two years. Russia is an active participant in the Indian air shows and features over 200 military products this year.