Russia preparing to supply advanced S-400 air defence missile systems to India

Russia is ready to supply cutting-edge surface-to-air missile system to India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Friday (2 June) for a key summit.

Both the sides are discussing the terms, and precontract preparations are underway to supply the S-400 Triumf to Delhi, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told reporters on Thursday.

"It is difficult to say yet how much time they will take. There is an agreement between governments and now we are simply discussing the terms," Russia's official TASS news agency cited Rogozin as saying.

Modi and Putin inked the $5bn (£3.89bn) worth deal in October last year on the sidelines of the Brics summit, which India hosted with leaders from member states - Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.

The deal was reported to be one among the 16 key agreements that both the countries signed, including a joint venture to build 200 multi-task Kamov 226T helicopters in India. The twin-engine helicopters are reportedly meant to replace India's ageing Cheetah and Chetak aircraft.

The S-400 system, known as SA-21 Growler, is Russia's most sophisticated air defence system that went into service in 2007. It has the capability to destroy any incoming hostile aircraft or drone at ranges of up to 400km and at an altitude of up to 30km.

Delhi has purchased five of these systems. The deal is thought to be a game changer for the nuclear-armed country as the S-400 is said to be capable of tracking and firing three types of missiles - ballistic, cruise and tactical missiles. It also has the capacity to create a layered defence while also simultaneously engaging 36 targets, Indian media reports suggest.

The same Triumf defence system is said to be deployed in Turkey too, Vladimir Putin told reporters on Thursday (1 June).

"We discussed the possibility of selling S-400 systems. We are ready for this," Putin said. "As for cooperation, this is a separate issue related to the Turkish industry's readiness. We do not produce such hardware anywhere abroad so far."

"We are ready for the deliveries of these newest and most effective systems. President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan knows about this and our military knows and the Turkish military knows too," Putin added.