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Despite threat of US sanctions, India moves forward to acquire S-400 missile systems from Russia

Despite threat of US sanctions, India moves forward to acquire S-400 missile systems from Russia

India and Russia are going to prove their traditional friendship once again. Despite the threat of US sanctions, India has stepped forward towards getting the five S-400 Triumph Air Defence missile systems from Russia. This deal is worth 39 thousand crores. Now the Ministry of Defence is engaged in removing the barriers to the deal. According to sources, the Defence Purchase Council (DAC) has allowed some minor changes related to the S 400 deal. DAC Chairman is Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The status of S-400 deal will now go to the Finance Ministry for clearance. The Prime Minister-led Defence Affairs Committee will give its approval later. It is worth noting that the DAC meeting happened a day after the US decision, in which the Trump administration canceled the first ‘two-plus-two‘ meeting.

In this meeting, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were scheduled to meet up with American counterparts Mike Pompeo and Jim Mattis on 6 July. India, which is going to buy defence systems from Russia, can destroy the enemy’s strategic ships, detective aircrafts, missiles and drones over a range of 400 km and 30 km from the air. This system was considered as a big game changer for India. In 2016, a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Goa, there was an agreement to buy the S 400 defence system.

Here the United States has threatened to ban the progress of this project. The US is trying to prevent other countries from buying arms from Russia through one of its laws, CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act). That is why many important projects between India and Russia have been swinging in the balance.

Under the proposed S-400 missile systems deal, the Indian Air Force will get the first S-400 squadron including(its battle-management system of command posts and launchers, all-terrain transporter-erector-launcher vehicles, acquisition and engagement radars) 24 months after the final contract is being signed. All the five squadrons, with two firing units each, will come in next 60 months.

 

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Abhishek Lohia

Abhishek Lohia was a Sports and Political Writer working for Newsfolo and is no longer associated with the organization.

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