MOSCOW, March 15. /TASS/. About 100 servicemen of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who will serve in China’s second regiment of S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems have started their training in Russia to learn to operate these weapons, a source in military and diplomatic circles told TASS on Friday.

"About 100 PLA servicemen who will serve on vehicles of the second S-400 regiment set have started their training at one of training centers of the Russian Defense Ministry," the source said. The training will be completed in late May, he specified.

Russia is due to hand over the second S-400 regiment set to China in the second half of 2019.

China became the first foreign buyer of S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems after signing a contract on two regiment sets. The delivery of the first S-400 regiment set to China was completed in the spring of 2018. In December that year, China held successful live-fire exercises of S-400 systems, hitting both a ballistic and an aerodynamic target by surface-to-air missiles at its practice ranges.

Russia’s S-400 Triumf is the latest long-and medium-range surface-to-air missile system that went into service in 2007. It is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, and can also be used against ground installations. The S-400 can engage targets at a distance of up to 400 km and at an altitude of up to 30 km under intensive enemy fire and jamming.