The Russian-Ukrainian conflict has caused a delay in the delivery of the S-400 air defence missile system to India. A $5 billion deal signed in October 2018 called for the purchase of five such missile systems. Three of the five missile systems have already been delivered. The remaining two have been delayed in delivery.
According to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, the Indian Air Force (IAF) informed the committee that “there is a major project where deliveries have been halted due to the war.” So, we had a big delivery planned for this year, but it won’t happen. They have informed us in writing that they will be unable to deliver it.”
According to sources, the “major project” mentioned in the committee’s report was the S-400 missile system, with the two missiles expected to be delivered by the end of the year. Despite the conflict in Ukraine, the S-400 has been delivered on time so far.
About S-400 Missile Systems
Each S-400 system is equipped with eight vehicle-mounted launchers. Each launcher has four tubes, allowing the ground commander to fire four missiles from each launcher. At a range of 40 to 400 kilometers, an S-400 missile can destroy a hostile aircraft, missile, or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Each system has its own radar and can track more than 100 targets over a 600-kilometer range.
Also read: Why S-400 Missiles Systems Is A Game Changer For Indian Armed Forces?
The Russian Air Force announced the S-400 system in January 1993, after developing it since the late 1980s. On February 12, 1999, successful tests at Kapustin Yar in Astrakhan were reported, and the Russian army planned to deploy the S-400 in 2001.
It became clear in 2003 that the system was not ready for deployment. Two senior military officials expressed concern in August that the S-400 was being tested with “obsolete” interceptors from the S-300P system, concluding that it was not ready for deployment. The project’s completion was announced in February 2004. A ballistic missile was successfully intercepted in April during a test of the upgraded 48N6DM missile. The system was put into service in 2007. In October 2018, a source in the domestic defence industry told TASS that Russia had accepted the 40N6 long-range missile for service with the S-400 air defence system.
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