In a big boost to India’s air-defence capabilities, Russia has started delivery of the much awaited S-400 bullet system for deployment on schedule this time, sanctioned sources have verified India had bought the system for overUS$ 5 billion in 2018, in a deal that came contentious amid a trouble of warrants from the US on countries engaging in defence deals with Russia “ Russia has started delivering the S-400 Triumf face-to- air bullet systems to India, the deliveries are going as planned,” Sputnik, the Russian news agency, reported The inventories of the S-400 air defence system to India have started and are pacing on schedule,” the agency quoted Dmitry Shugaev, director of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, as saying.
There was no sanctioned word from the Indian side. The delivery of the munitions system was anticipated to begin before the end of this time. The delivery of corridor has formerly begun through ocean and air routes, sources said.
India had bought five units of the system in 2018, and had made the first tranche of the payment,$ 800 million, a time latterly The S-400 is among the most advanced air-defence systems in the world, with a range of around 400 km. It’s able of guarding its air defence bubble against rockets, dumdums, voyage dumdums and indeed aircraft.
The system is formerly available with China, which has stationed it along the Line of Factual Control ( LAC) in eastern Ladakh amid the 18-month service standoff.
Speaking to journalists last month, Chief of the Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Marshal V R Chaudhari, had said that the first S-400 unit would be instated this time, as per the contrac The deal with Russia has been a nuisance in the relationship between India and the US as several American officers have, in veiled dispatches, raised the spectre of warrants if India goes ahead with the purchase.
In January, the also gregarious US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster had raised issues of “ interoperability” in a veiled reference to the S-400 deal India’s External Affairs Ministry had stated that “ India and the US have a comprehensive global strategic cooperation” and that “ India has a special and privileged strategic cooperation with Russia” The ministry had said, through its prophet, in January that “ India has always pursued an independent foreign policy. This also applies to our defence accessions and inventories which are guided by our public security interests.”
A many days before Juster’s commentary, a US Congressional report had advised that “ India’smulti-billion bone deal to buy the Russian- made S-400 air defence system may spark US warrants on India under the Fighting America’s Adversaries Through Warrants Act” The US had assessed warrants on Turkey in December 2020 over its purchase of the same system Last month, two US legislators had reportedly written to US President Joe Biden, prompting his administration to waive any warrants against India over the purchase.
