The delivery of the Russian S-400 Triumf air defence systems to India has started and some parts of the system has already reached India, India’s ThePrint reported on Tuesday.
In October 2018, India and Russia signed a $5.43 billion deal for five S-400 systems and two Indian Air Force (IAF) teams have already been trained on the system by the manufacturer Almaz Antey, in Russia.
The delivery of the system has already brought the threat of the US imposing sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which was passed in 2017 to take action against countries involved in trade with Moscow.
“The supplies of the S-400 air defence system to India have started and are proceeding on schedule,” said Dmitry Shugaev, director of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), told the country’s official news agency Sputnik.
The development comes ahead of the proposed visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to India in December.
According to the reports, each S-400 system, known as a battery, consists of long-range radar, target acquisition radar, a command post vehicle, and two battalions of launchers (each battalion has eight). Each launcher has four tubes.
The command post, the radars, and the launchers are mounted on multi-axle, multi-wheel Ural carriers that have the capability to move on uneven terrains.
Reports added that S400 will be positioned near India’s the western border to counter any move from China and Pakistan.
(With input from Agencies)
