Kolkata: Russia on June 26 assured India the two remaining squadrons of the S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems will be delivered by 2026-27. Notably, the missiles played a crucial role in the Indian Armed Forces’ Operation Sindoor against Pakistan and its sponsored terrorist groups.
Due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the fourth and fifth squadrons of the S-400 air defence systems have been delayed for a considerable time. According to a report by the Times of India, the topic of delivering the system featured in the bilateral meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov when they met at the side-lines of the SCO defence ministers’ meet at China’s Qingdao.
Singh took to X and said, “We had insightful deliberations on boosting India-Russia defence ties.” India inked the contract with Russia in 2018 and the total cost is Rs 40,000 crore. India was scheduled to get all five squadrons by the end of 2023.
Each S-400 squadron has two missile batteries with 128 missiles in each of them. The ranges of interception of the missiles are 120, 200, 250 and 350 km. Also, they have long-range acquisition, engagement radars and all-terrain transporter-erector vehicles. So far, the Indian Air Force has deployed three S-400 squadrons in northwest and east India given the threats of Pakistan and China.
According to the TOI report, the fourth squadron will be delivered by 2026 while the fifth squadron will be delivered by 2027. The S-400 batteries can detect and destroy missiles, strategic bombers, jets, spy planes, and drones within its range. It forms the outer layer of the integrated air defence system of India.