Deliveries of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to India can begin in 2020 and end in 2025. This was reported to journalists by the deputy director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) Vladimir Drozhzhov.

“The scheme has been agreed, and I hope that the first payment will soon be transferred by the Indian side ... I think by the end of 2020 - the beginning of 2021, the first system should be delivered. After the first set, the next must be delivered with a certain frequency over the next few years, that is, until 2024-2025, India must receive all the systems, ”RIA Novosti quotes him.

Vladimir Drozhzhov stressed that India’s commitment to the deal on the purchase of Russian air defense systems, despite pressure from the United States, confirms the uniqueness and relevance of these complexes.

“We already have a sufficient number of requests not only from Turkey, India and China, but also from other countries for the supply of this system. I can confidently confirm that the characteristics of the C-400 far exceed all analogues from the United States and other countries, ”noted Drozzhov.

Sanction barrier

Recall that the contract for the supply of S-400 complexes in India was concluded in October 2018 during a visit to the country of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The deal provides for the supply of New Delhi of five regiments of the S-400 Triumph SAM system in the amount of $ 5.43 billion.

The Donald Trump administration is putting pressure on the Indian side to call for a withdrawal from the deal. In particular, the Assistant Head of the Pentagon for security in the Asia-Pacific region, Randall Shriver, did not rule out that India could be subject to sanctions.

Subsequently, Alice Wells, First Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, noted that “there are no exceptions for any country when it comes to C-400.”

Earlier, Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed the hope that the United States would not apply sanctions to New Delhi.

Other countries have already encountered such pressure from the United States because of S-400 purchases: China was imposed sanctions, and Turkey was excluded from the program of supply and production of F-35 fighter jets.

India’s political priority is to pursue an independent policy without any association, so it will not allow the United States to decide with whom to cooperate in the arms trade, said Vasily Kashin, senior researcher at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at HSE.

“In addition, there is a certain systemic problem in the American policy towards India, which is connected with the gaining strength of the Indian-American trade dispute, where they exchange restrictive measures. Despite the fact that the United States should strive to converge closer with India in the interests of containing China and isolating Russia, in fact, the Americans fail to build a consistent and consistent policy, which is good for Russian-Indian cooperation, ”the expert explained.

The Trump administration chose the wrong course, deciding to put pressure on New Delhi through sanctions, said Kashin.

“Washington has gone too far because he simply challenged India’s rights to make independent decisions about cooperation. In addition, Americans in other areas have deteriorated relations with New Delhi, including in trade, so the Indian side is forced to respond, ”the expert said.

In the sky over india

In addition to the deal on the S-400, Vladimir Drozhzhov said, India continues to expand cooperation with Russia in terms of procurement of aviation equipment. So, the Indian side will purchase 18 Su-30MKI fighter jets.

“We have fully fulfilled our obligations to supply all the technological kits of Su-30MKI fighter jets and received an additional request for another 18 technological kits. The application is already being worked out, ”said the FSMTC deputy director.

  • Su-30 Indian Air Force
  • Reuters
  • © Kamal Kishore

Drozhzhov added that Russia also received an offer for the supply of upgraded MiG-29 fighter jets. In another gun tender, hosted by India, 110 Russian aircraft are participating at once - the latest Russian light MiG-35 fighters. Drozhzhov stressed that the threat of sanctions from the US will not prevent vehicles from Russia from participating in Indian defense tenders.

“Sanctions do not give anyone any good. Everyone understands this perfectly well, so we are forced to find ways to circumvent them under conditions of sanction pressure. We are grateful to the Indian partners for taking efforts in this direction. We are well aware that we must proceed from the fact that the sanctions pressure will continue even before the direct signing of contracts for major tenders in which we participate, ”RIA Novosti quotes him.

Russian technology has traditionally been the basis of the Indian Air Force. By 2016, New Delhi updated almost the entire fleet of its military transport helicopters, purchasing 139 Mi-17V-5 cars from Russia.

During the recent conflict between India and Pakistan in Kashmir, multi-purpose Su-30 fighters, Il-78 tankers, as well as the Il-76 long-range radar detection and control aircraft took part in strikes against the positions of terrorists.

According to military expert Yuri Knutov, India is beginning to understand that without Russian weapons it will be difficult for it to defend its independence.

“According to Indian information during the last Indian-Pakistani conflict, the American F-16 Air Force of Pakistan was shot down by an aircraft of the Soviet model of the Indian Air Force. American technology, which offers Washington, has not confirmed its characteristics in the immediate combat conditions. In addition, Americans can at any time disable any American anti-aircraft missile system that New Delhi buys, and India is a supporter of an independent policy, ”the experts noted.

The S-400 deal shows that the Modi government is ready to uphold independence at the expense of Indian-American relations, he added.

"Because India is now profitable to become a subject of international law and play a more influential role in Asia," explained Knutov.

Submarines and machines

Cooperation between Russia and India in the field of naval technology continues. In the framework of the tender for the supply of submarines by the Indian Navy, Moscow will offer New Delhi not a licensed production, but joint construction, which is much more technologically advantageous, Vladimir Drozhzhov told reporters. The Russian side is now participating in the tender for the supply of six submarines, putting submarines of projects 636 and 1650 Amur on it.

  • The project of non-nuclear submarines of the fourth generation of the class "Amur"
  • © JSC "Central Design Bureau" Rubin "

“We offered India to build this submarine on the basis of our Amur-1650 project. The preliminary offer we sent to India differs in a favorable way from those given by other partners. We do not offer licensed production, we offer to jointly design a boat and jointly build the leading sample, ”RIA Novosti quotes Drozhzhova.

This means that after the production of "Amur" India will have at its disposal all the technological capabilities for mass production. To equip these submarines offered cruise missiles "Brahmos", which are produced on the eponymous joint Indian-Russian enterprise.

Also a large order was placed on the supply of small arms - Kalashnikov assault rifles in the “two hundred” series - AK-203. This contract will execute another joint venture - Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited. The plant, where the modified Kalashnikovs will be produced in the Indian city of Corva, was opened in March by the country's premier Narendra Modi. To date, the release of 750 thousand units of AK-203 has been agreed.

Moscow gives New Delhi the most sensitive technologies out of all that exist, Vasily Kashin recalled.

“India is the only country that has received a Russian nuclear submarine in the framework of leasing. In addition, the creation of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles demonstrated the maximum degree of trust and cooperation. India would not have received such sensitive technologies from Western countries. I think that cooperation between Moscow and New Delhi will be strengthened. It is clear that cooperation with Russia is important for India and it seeks to support it, ”the expert concluded.