China successfully tests S-400 missile defence from Russia

BEIJING: China has successfully tested the advanced S-400 air defence system imported from Russia for which India also signed up despite concerns over threat of sanctions from the US.

It was the first time the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) tested the system since it received the last shipments of the weaponry from Russia in July under a $3 billion contract signed in 2015.

PLA’S Rocket Force last month tested the S-400 Triumf air defence system successfully, shooting down a “simulated ballistic target” almost 250 kilometres away and moving at the supersonic speed of 3 km per second, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Thursday, citing Russian media reports. Details of the location of the test have not been disclosed.

India signed a $5 billion deal with Russia to buy the same system in October despite threat of sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) instituted by the US Congress on arms purchases from Russia.

India wants the long-range missile systems to tighten its air defence mechanism, particularly along the 3488 km-long border with China.

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 deal with Russia in 2014 to procure the system. Moscow has already started delivery of an undisclosed number of the S-400 missile systems to Beijing.