Delivery of S-400 System on Schedule, Says Russia

India and Russia have signed defence deals worth $15 billion in the past three years with big-ticket purchases such as the S-400 missile system, said Viktor N Kladov, director for international cooperation and regional policy, Rostec, a state-owned Russian defence and industrial group.

Speaking during Army 2021, Kaldov said: “CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) is not against Russia. It’s against third countries cooperating with Russia, so it is for the Indian side on how to protect itself. When it comes to our side, we are very helpful. For instance, we protect our banking systems by doing payments in national currencies.”

As far as India is concerned, it stands firm in protecting national interest, Kaldov explained. On the delivery of the S-400 air defence missile system, he said: “They are on schedule.” India is likely to get the first batch of S-400 in October-December this year. The second batch of military training to operate the defence system is presently underway in Russia. “We maintain the same level of military cooperation despite challenges posed by Covid-19,” he said.

India has bought a lot of Soviet and Russian-made defence equipment and bulk of these equipment requires modernisation, upgrade and repair. The Indian armed forces have a long-standing grievance that supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time, affecting maintenance of military systems procured from Moscow.

Kladov acknowledged the “competition in the defence sector”, with the US and France stepping up defence cooperation with India. To overcome these challenges, Kladov said: “We have improved the quality of equipment and plan to set up a joint venture with related companies in India to service equipment. A representative is already there discussing with the government of India to set up the registration of the company… We have forwarded our proposal on P-75I submarines to the Indian Navy. Discussion is also underway for the upgrade of Su-30s fighter jets,” he added.