MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. Russia expects to sign a deal with India soon on the delivery of S-400 air defense missile systems, Vice-Premier Dmitry Rogozin said on Wednesday.

"We hope that the S-400 deal will be signed with India soon," Rogozin said in an interview with Rossiya-24 TV Channel.

The Indian news agency PTI reported in mid-December citing Russia’s Rostec Corporation Director for International Cooperation Viktor Kladov that Russia and India were agreeing the technical details of the contract for the delivery of S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems and were "at a very advanced stage" of negotiations.

The sides are also discussing the price, personnel training, technology transfer and the number of air defense missile systems India will purchase.

Russia’s S-400 Triumf is the latest long-range anti-aircraft missile system that went into service in 2007. It is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, including medium-range missiles, and can also be used against ground objectives.

The S-400 can engage targets at a distance of 400 km and at an altitude of up to 30 km.

Russian Aerospace Force Deputy Commander-in-Chief Viktor Gumyonny said in April that missiles capable of destroying targets in outer space had started arriving for the S-400 systems.