First S-400 Unit To Be Made Operational In April 2022; All Five Units To Be Deployed Along The LAC

India has initiated work towards deploying the S-400 Triumf advanced surface-to-air missile defence system as its first unit will be operational in April 2022, Hindustan Times reports.

Officers in the know of developments told the publication mentioned above that each of the five units of the S-400 would be stationed in in-depth areas to tackle the threat emerging from China.

The S-400 system, bought from Russia via a $5 billion agreement, can take down a hostile aircraft or missile at a range between 40 km-400 km.

Specific Indian teams underwent training in Russia and are now assembling the systems and the radars of the advanced consignments of the two S-400 systems that have already arrived from Moscow.

Amid the ongoing standoff between the Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), China has already deployed two S-400 systems at Ngari Gar Gunsa and Nyingchi across the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Though the United States (US) had discouraged India from acquiring the S-400 from Russia, the central government's top diplomatic and security echelons had conveyed to the US that the concerned procurement is essential for the country's national interest.