Dec 22, 2021: India’s Local media reported on Tuesday that India has started deploying Russian S-400 air defense missile system in the northwestern state of Punjab.
Asian News International (ANI) reported that the Indian Air Force is deploying S-400s on the western border to counter possible threats from Pakistan and China. ANI quoted local sources as saying that the S-400 batteries would be able to deal with air threats from Pakistan and China.
He added that Russia had begun supplying India with the S-400 Triumf, a mobile and surface-to-air missile defense system that would be immediately deployed by air and sea. The first delivery of Russia’s powerful S-400 air defense missile system is expected to be completed by the end of this year, the unit will be operational in the next few weeks.
According to the report, the Air Force will focus on the eastern front after completing its deployment in the state of Punjab, and will provide resources for training personnel in the country. In Russia, many Indian Air Force officers and personnel have already been trained in the system. On December 6, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shrigala said that Russia had started supplying S-400 to the country.
India and Russia signed a $5.5 billion contract, in 2018 putting India at risk of US sanctions.
The US has long tried to deter countries from buying military equipment from Russia, threatening them with punitive measures under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which it has used against Turkey, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.
New Delhi nevertheless moved forward with the purchase, arguing that it has strategic connections with both Russia and the US.
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