NEW DELHI – India is likely to seal a nearly Rs 40,000 crore deal toprocure S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems from Russia before topleaders of the two countries hold an annual summit around October, officialsources said.
Negotiations for the deal are nearing completion and differences over priceand other peripheral issues were almost bridged, they said.
Sources told PTI that both Russia and India were eyeing inking of thecontract before summit talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi andRussian President Vladimir Putin which may take place either in Septemberor October in India.
They said India was confident of finalizing the mega deal with Moscownotwithstanding provisions of a US law that seeks to punish Russia for itsalleged meddling in the American presidential election in 2016.
Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which cameinto effect in January this year, mandates the Donald Trump administrationto punish entities engaging in significant transaction with the defence orintelligence establishment of Russia.
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis last week appealed to the Congress tourgently provide India the national security waiver, saying imposingsanctions under CAATSA for the S-400 air defence missile deal would onlyhit the US.
India wants to procure the long-range missile systems to tighten its airdefence mechanism, particularly along the nearly 4,000 km Sino-India border.
In 2016, India and Russia had signed an agreement on the ‘Triumf’interceptor-based missile system which can destroy incoming hostileaircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400 km. S-400 isknown as Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defencesystem.
China was the first foreign buyer to seal a government-to-government dealwith Russia in 2014 to procure the lethal missile system and Moscow hasalready started delivery of unknown number of the S-400 missile systems toChina.
Negotiators from India have been in talks with their Russian counterpartsfor over one and half years for the purchase of at least five systems ofS-400 which are capable of firing three types of missiles.
The S-400 is an upgraded version of the S-300 systems. The missile systemis manufactured by Almaz-Antey and has been in service in Russia since 2007.