The Times of India:
NEW DELHI: India will begin inducting the first squadron of the advanced S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems from Russia from October 2020 onwards, with all the five squadrons slated for delivery by April 2023.
“The S-400 systems will provide a very capable air defence coverage to vulnerable areas/vulnerable points,” said junior defence minister Subhash Bhamre in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. India had inked the $5.43 billion (Rs 40,000 crore) contract for the S-400 systems with Russia on October 5 last year.
As for the looming threat of US financial sanctions over the S-400 deal under CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act), which seeks to prevent countries from buying Russian weapons or Iranian oil, Bhamre said the Indian government was “aware of all developments that may impact” procurement of weapon systems.
