The deputy CEO of the air and space defense concern Almaz-Antey, Vyacheslav Dzirkaln on Monday said Russia will begin to deliver surface-to-air missile defence system (SAM) S-400 by end of the year 2021. Dzirkaln was at the International Military-Technical Forum “ARMY-2021” and confirmed the deal between the two countries, “I can confirm that we will deliver, the S-400 system to India, by the end of 2021 in accordance with the schedule and contractual obligations of the Russian side.”
Dzirkaln informed that at the Indian military personnel are currently undergoing training to learn how to operate the S-400 defence system. “As for the training, the first group of Indian specialists have completed the training. The second group is undergoing training. I would not talk about the number of people but it is a sufficient number for the Indian armed forces to effectively operate our equipment. I would like to say that the results shown by the first group of Indian specialists after the training were very high. I would like to note the level of training of Indian specialists,” the deputy CEO said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in October 2018 signed a $5.43 billion deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin for five S-400 regiments. The S-400 Triumf is an air defense missile system, an upgrade of the earlier versions of S-300P and S-200.
First deployed in combat roles by the Russian army in August 2007, the S-400 system combines a multifunction radar, autonomous detection and targeting system. With anti-aircraft missile systems and launchers, it can create a layered defense by firing three types of missiles. The system can be used to target aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), ballistic, and cruise missiles. It has a range of hitting targets within 400 km and at an altitude of up to 30 km.
