Sitharaman eyeing S-400 deal with Russia during Moscow visit
Sealing the S-400 deal will be a major focus of Sitharaman’s visit to Russia, according to a person familiar with the matter
PTI
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint
New Delhi: A nearly Rs40,000 crore deal to procure S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems from Russia is yet to be concluded mainly due to differences over price which India would look to sort out during defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s upcoming visit to Moscow, officials said.
India wants to procure the long-range missile systems to tighten its air defence mechanism, particularly when China has been ramping up its military manoeuvring along the nearly 4,000km Sino-India border.
In 2016, India and Russia had signed an agreement on Triumf interceptor-based missile system which can destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400km. S-400 is known as Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system.
China was the first foreign buyer to seal a government-to-government deal with Russia in 2014 to procure the lethal missile system and Moscow has already started delivery of unknown number of the S-400 missile systems to China.
People in the know said Sitharaman will travel to Moscow within the next six weeks and she may push for sealing the long-pending deal at the earliest. “Sealing the S-400 deal will be a major focus of Sitharaman’s visit to Russia,” said a person familiar with the deal, which would be one of biggest with Russia in recent years.
Negotiators from both countries have been in talks for over one and half years for the purchase of at least five systems of S-400 which are capable of firing three types of missiles, creating a layered defence. The S-400 is an upgraded version of the S-300 systems. The missile system is manufactured by Almaz-Antey and has been in service in Russia since 2007.
The people in the know also said that no decision could be taken on the long-pending fifth-generation fighter jet project with Russia due to the high cost involved in it. A high-level committee set up by the government to examine various aspects of the project had submitted its report last year and the defence ministry is likely to take a call on it soon.
In 2007, India and Russia had inked an inter-governmental pact for the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) project. In December 2010, India had agreed to pay $295 million (Rs1,897 crore) towards the preliminary design of the fighter, which is called in India as the ‘Perspective Multi-role Fighter’.
However, the negotiations faced various hurdles in the subsequent years. In February 2016, India and Russia revived talks on the project after a clearance from the then defence minister Manohar Parrikar. The issue may also figure during Sitharaman’s visit to Moscow.
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/0I...400-deal-with-Russia-during-Moscow-visit.html
India all set to get S-400 Triumf missiles: 8 facts you should know about advanced Russian aircraft destroyer
The Indian Defense Ministry is expected to seal the S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft system procurement deal with Russia within six weeks.
By :
Rohit KVN
Indian defense ministry is expected to seal the S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft system procurement deal with Russian within six weeks.ru:Участник:Goodvint via Creative Commons
Russia's S-400 Triumf, the successor of the S-300 series, is touted to be one of the most advanced anti-aircraft missiles in the world. Now, India is on the verge sealing a long-pending deal to purchase it.
India and Russia jointly announced in October 2016 the former's interest to purchase the S-400 Triumf air defense system when Prime minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin met at the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Goa.
During the meet,
India was confirmed to have committed to a deal worth more than $5 billion (approximately Rs 32,498 crore), including the purchase of S-400 series, collaboration in developing four state-of-art frigates and setting up of a joint production plant for making Kamov helicopters.
As of now, there is no word on when the air defense system will be delivered to India, but the deal pertaining to the number of systems to be purchased and the costs at which they will be bought is expected to be finalized soon.
"Sealing the S-400 deal will be a major focus of Sitharaman's visit to Russia,"
sources told PTI. The Indian defense minister is expected to visit Moscow sometime in the next six weeks.
China, which had signed a government-to-government deal with Russia for procuring the S-400 missiles in 2014, has already started receiving the consignments, though the number of missiles to be delivered is still under wraps.
S-400 Triumf missile: 6 facts you should know about advanced aircraft destroyer
1) S-400 Triumf is a surface-to-air missile that can hit a target anywhere between 20km and 185km range altitude and can be launched from a mobile launch pad.
2) The Triumf missile can reach a staggering target speed of Mach 14, that's more than 17,000 km/hour (or 4.8km/second)
3) S-400 Triumf comes in four variants based on the range it can hit targets — 40N6 (400km), 48N6 (250km), 9M96NE2 (120km), 9M96NE (40km)
4) Depending on the variant, it has the capacity to carry a warhead weighing anywhere between 24kg and 180kg
5) Besides fighter airplanes, S-400 Triumf can be used to target even drones, ballistic missiles, and strategic cruise missiles
6) Triumf missile comes with a high hit probability of one missile against fast, maneuvering targets. It is 0.9 for aircraft, 0.8 against drones or UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and 0.7 against missiles. [Note: If a weapon hits a target nine times out of 10 with a representative set of 10 engagements, one could say that this weapon has a "Phit" score of 0.9.]
7) The Triumf missile comes with service lifespan of 15 years, while the companion ground facilities have a 20-year service lifespan.
8) One Triumf missile system, which costs around $400 million (approximately Rs 2,602 crore), comprises up to eight divisions (battalions) and can control up to 72 launchers, with a maximum of 384 missiles (including missiles with a range of less than 250 km).
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/india-all-...d-know-about-advanced-russian-aircraft-762692
