India has officially approved a large-scale package of measures to modernize the Armed Forces totaling $25 billion, which includes the purchase from Russia of five new S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems. The republic's authorities were convinced of the systems' effectiveness, the American publication Defense News reported.
According to the source, the decision to purchase five additional Triumfs from Russia was made by the country's Defence Acquisition Council, headed personally by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
These systems will complement the five S-400s ordered by India in 2018 — three of them are deployed along the country's northern and western borders, and delivery of two is planned for this year.
Military analyst Dinakar Peri emphasized that the S-400 systems have already proven their effectiveness, and India knows that the Triumfs are reliable in combat conditions.
New markets
Director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugaev noted that Russia does not rule out new deliveries of Triumfs abroad.
Head of the Center for Military-Diplomatic Analysis and Assessments Vladimir Vinokurov stated that the systems have also attracted interest in the UAE.
According to him, the United States failed to justify its status as the key security guarantor in the region when it was unable to cope with missiles and Patriot surface-to-air missile systems.
Development continues
Russian engineers are constantly upgrading the S-400 Triumf, and this work does not stop, noted State Duma Defence Committee member Andrei Kolesnik.
CEO of the Almaz-Antey Aerospace Defence Concern Yan Novikov emphasized that the Triumf is the most effective system in its class.
For example, it surpasses the MIM-104 Patriot in key mobility parameters and the range of targets it can engage.