An S-400 air defence missile system is deployed for combat duty at the Hmeymim airbase in Syria. (Dmitriy Vinogradov/Sputnik)
An S-400 air defence missile system is deployed for combat duty at the Hmeymim airbase in Syria. (Dmitriy Vinogradov/Sputnik)  
Insta

Indian Air Force Personnel To Head To Russia For Training On S-400 Air Defence System Despite US Threats

BySwarajya Staff

The Indian Air Force personnel are all set to head to Russia later this year to train on the Russian S-400 air defence system despite the threats of US sanctions, Sputnik has reported.

India had signed the deal in 2018 to purchase the S-400 air defence system and has reaffirmed its commitment to go ahead with the deal.

The first batch of S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems will be delivered to New Delhi by October 2020 and the remaining batches are expected to join the Indian Air Force by 2023.

The United States meanwhile has been pressurising New Delhi to abandon the deal with Moscow by warning of "serious consequences".

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his recent trip to India said ,"With respect to the S-400, we're urging all of our allies and partners, India included, to forgo transactions with Russia that risk triggering the CAATSA sanctions... This is a time we will be encouraging India to look at alternatives."

Even before the agreement was signed US State Department gave India an indirect warning with regards to compromising further arms agreements between New Delhi and Washington.