MOSCOW, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Russia will complete tests of a new short-range air defense missile-gun system by the end of 2007,a designer bureau official said Wednesday.

    "The Pantsir-S1 short-range air defense system is designed to provide defense of key military and industrial facilities and air defense support for military units during air and ground operations," Alexander Belotserkovsky, an official from Russia's KBP Instrument Design Bureau, which manufactures the system, was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying.

    Pantsyr-S1 is a short-range, mobile air defense system, combining two 30mm anti-aircraft guns and 12 surface-to-air missiles. It can simultaneously engage two separate targets, ranging from aircraft to missiles and guided bombs.

    Pantsir-S1 is currently being tested during joint Air Force andAir Defense Forces exercises at the Ashukuk testing grounds in south Russia. The system will replace the Tunguska M1 complex in the Russian military following the successful completion of testing.

    Russia has also signed Pantsir S1 sales contracts with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan and Syria, and is currently in talks with Algeria on the deliveries of this highly sought-after system.