INDIA TO BUY S-400 AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM FROM RUSSIA

India announced on October 15, 2016 that it will buy the S-400 Triumf Air Defence systems from Russia, worth over $5 billion. The most strategically important decision is the inter-governmental agreement for the purchase of S-400 ‘Triumf’ long-range air defence missile system which has the capability to destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400 km. India and Russia have been in talks for over a year for the purchase of at least five systems of S-400 that will be a game changer in the region. The system is capable of firing three types of missiles, creating a layered defence and simultaneously engaging 36 targets. India would be the second customer of the prized missile system after China which had concluded a $3-billion contract last year. The contract is likely to be signed by the middle of 2017. Russian Television reported the delivery of S-400 Triumf to India could begin as early as 2020. “An inter-governmental agreement has been signed under which Russia has undertaken to deliver S-400 to India,” Sergey Chemezov, head of the Russian