MOSCOW, July 20 (Xinhua) -- A new air defense missile was successfully test-fired from a testing range in Kazakhstan, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.

A missile defense unit of the Russian Aerospace Forces has tested a new, modernized air defense missile at the Sary Shagan of the Kazakhstan firing range, Andrei Prikhodko, deputy commander of Aerospace Forces' air and missile defense taskforce, told Russia's Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.

The weapon, which had successfully engaged its targets during the test, is in military service, added Prikhodko.

The newspaper also noted that the anti-missile system is designed to protect Moscow against air and space attacks, as well as to carry out tasks in the interests of missile attack warning systems and control of outer space.