India Considering To Purchase Additional S-400 Or Newer S-500 Squadrons

Dec 31, 2021

A top official said that as the S-400 squadrons arrive– the deliveries are on schedule despite COVID– the issue of purchasing more air-defence systems will come up.

New Delhi: Apart from the 5 S-400 air-defence missile squadrons, the first of which will be operational in February, India is considering the purchase of additional S-400 or the newer S-500 squadrons.

Parts of the first squadron of the S-400 has been flown in and the rest, chiefly the radars have been shipped to India and will be arriving shortly. A top official said a “whole convoy” is arriving with the battle-acquisition and engagement radars. This means the system has radars to find the missile or aircraft coming towards it and other radars to guide the missile towards the missing target. Post arrival, the unit will be assembled and tested, before being placed in the north and made operational.

A top official said that as the S-400 squadrons arrive– the deliveries are on schedule despite COVID– the issue of purchasing more air-defence systems will come up. “We will look at additional S-400s or the S-500, which has been offered to us by the Russians,” the official said. This will be done after seeing how the S-400 works.

The Russians are keen to sell the S-500 to India, a unit with the ability to intercept both ballistic and cruise missiles at a range of 500-600 km. It can intercept multiple missile attacks simultaneously. Importantly, Russia has not offered the S-500 system to China, which has the S-400.Advertisin

But India is keeping its options open. There is the shadow of the CAATSA or the US Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act in the form of financial sanctions. India is keeping it’s options open: it will either

be additional S-400s or the S-500, just entering service in the Russian armed forces and positioned to defend Moscow.

Courtesy: TNN