The Indian Air Force is likely to complete the deployment of the first regiment of the S-400 Triumf missile systems at an airbase in Punjab by February, military officials said on Saturday. They said the process of deployment of the missile system has begun and it will take at least six more weeks to complete the deployment.
The first regiment of the missile system is being deployed in such a way that it can cover parts of the border with China in the northern sector as well as the frontier with Pakistan. “The transportation of various critical components of the missile systems as well as its peripheral equipment to the site of the deployment is going on,” said an official.
In total, India will get five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems from Russia.
In October 2018, India had signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, despite a warning from the Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions.
The Biden administration has not yet clarified whether it will impose sanctions on India under the provisions of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for procuring the S-400 missile systems.
