Russia has postponed the delivery of the remaining two S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft missile systems (JSC Concern VKO Almaz-Antey) to India until 2026. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, insisted on the urgent transfer of the systems due to the escalating situation in the region, according to Bulgarian Military.
According to the publication, the Russian authorities promised to consider this issue. The Indian Ministry of Defense commented on the issue of S-400 deliveries as follows.
During recent negotiations, India asked the Russian side to expedite deliveries to meet the needs of the Indian Air Force and try to speed up the timeline.
The contract for the supply of five S-400s totaling $5.43 billion was signed by the parties in 2018. New Delhi has already received three systems and deployed them in the east and west of the country to counter threats from China and Pakistan.
The S-400 systems deployed in the Himalayas are capable of reaching Chinese airfields and covering up to 80% of Pakistani territory. This complex system, with its versatile missile range, is capable of intercepting enemy ballistic and cruise missiles, fighters, and drones at a distance of up to 400 kilometers.
In 2024, Russia was supposed to transfer the remaining two S-400 SAM systems to its partners. The implementation of the treaty clauses was postponed due to the current geopolitical situation, as well as due to problems with settlements against the backdrop of Western sanctions.
The S-400 is a universal system for destroying all types of aerodynamic targets and ballistic missiles with a launch range of up to 3000 - 3500 km.
Features of the S-400 SAM system:
- aerodynamic target engagement range is 380 km
- ballistic target engagement range is 60 km
- speed of targets hit — 4800 m/s
- number of simultaneously engaged targets — up to 10
- number of simultaneously guided missiles — up to 20
