NEW DELHI, October 4. /TASS/. Russia will complete the delivery of S-400 air defense systems to India next year, India’s Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh told reporters on Friday.
In his words, Russia has already handed over three S-400 squadrons to his country.
"We will be receiving the next two squadrons of S-400 next year," The New Indian Express quoted him as saying.
New Delhi announced its intention to purchase Russian-made S-400 air defense systems in 2015. A $5.43 bln contract on the delivery of five regiment sets of S-400 Triumph antiaircraft missile systems was signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India in October 2018.
According to The New Indian Express, the delivered systems have already been deployed along India’s borders with China and Pakistan.
Russia’s S-400 Triumph (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) is the latest long-and medium-range surface-to-air missile system that went into service in 2007. It is designed to destroy strategic and tactical aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles and hypersonic weapons 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.