NEW DELHI – The S-400 Triumf air defence missile system to be procured fromRussia would provide requisite security to India from neighbouringcountries with “territorial ambition”, a senior Air Force official has said.

The S-400 Triumf is a next-generation mobile air defense system capable ofdestroying aerial targets at an extremely long range of up to 400kilometres.

The new missile defence system would give India an edge to protect itsterritorial integrity, Eastern Air Command’s Air Officer Commanding inChief, Air Marshal R Nambiar, told reporters on Friday. “The system wouldbe in India in the next 23 months,” said Nambiar, who was one of the Indiandelegates who had visited Russia for negotiations to procure the missilesystem.

Notwithstanding the US pressure of sanctions, India inked the defence dealon October 5 during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin. As perthe deal, New Delhi will get five regimental sets of S-400s for USD 5billion.