Russia has started supplying the S-400 Triumf air defense systems to India, the first unit of which will be deployed near the western front.
The announcement was made by the Director of Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugaev in Dubai air show.
FSMTC is the Russian government’s main defense export control organization.
Industry sources said the first parts of the squadron have already started reaching India, and they would be deployed on a location where it can take on threats from both Pakistan and Chinese airspace.
According to sources, the parts of the missile systems are coming via both air and sea routes and would be quickly deployed on the designated locations.
The first squadron delivery would be completed by the end of this year and after its deployment, the Indian Air Force would start focusing towards the eastern front, they said. The IAF would also dedicate some of the resources for training its personnel within the country also.
Mr. Putin is scheduled to visit India in the first week of December for the annual summit and the inaugural India-Russia 2+2 ministerial dialogue is likely to be held a day before or on the day of the summit itself, an official source said. Deals are expected in defense, trade and energy, apart from the focus on regional issues especially the developments in Afghanistan,
On the defense front, which is a major pillar of cooperation, few big ticket pending deals are lined for conclusion which include Ka-226T utility helicopters, Ak-203 assault rifles and Igla-S Very Short Range Air Defense (VSHORAD) systems. Some of these could see conclusion during the summit, a defense official said.
India recently made an emergency procurement of the Igla-S systems worth ₹300 crore rupees and signed a deal for off the shelf procurement of 70,000 Ak-103 assault rifles.
In October 2018, India and Russia signed a $5.43 billion deal for five S-400 regiments. Ahead of the scheduled deliveries, two Indian Air Force (IAF) teams have already been trained on the system by the manufacturer Almaz Antey, in Russia.
Defense trade between India and Russia was $15 billion in the last three years because of several big ticket deals.
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