Indian Air Force (IAF) has started deploying the Russian air defense missile system ‘S-400’ along Pakistan’s border.
It is installing the S-400 in Indian Punjab to counter possible airborne threats from Pakistan and China, according to Asian News International (ANI).
“The first squadron is being deployed in the Punjab sector. The batteries of the first squadron would be capable of taking care of aerial threats from both Pakistan and China,” ANI reported on Tuesday, quoting a government source.
The deliveries of the Russian defense system began earlier this month, as announced by the Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on 6 December. They will be completed by the end of this month, and the units will be operational in the next few weeks.
“Russia has started supplying India with the S-400 Triumf, a mobile, and surface-to-air missile defense system via air and sea routes that will be promptly deployed in the designated locations,” ANI said.
Once the deployments on the western borders are completed, the IAF will shift its focus to the eastern front, according to the report. Several IAF officers have already been trained on the system in Russia and they will now provide training to other personnel in the country.
Threat of US Sanctions
India and Russia had signed a $5.5 billion contract for deliveries of the S-400 in 2018. However, the move had temporarily strained ties with India’s long-time strategic and trade partner, the United States, that tries to deter countries from buying military equipment from Russia under its controversial Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
During his first visit to India in March, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had warned India against the contract and declared that all US allies and partners should shun Russian hardware and “avoid any kind of acquisition that would trigger sanctions”.
India made the purchase regardless of the threats, asserting that it has strategic ties with both Russia and the United States.
Now, it remains to be seen whether the US, which has used CAATSA against Iran, Turkey, North Korea, and Russia, will impose similar sanctions on India. Defense experts, on the other hand, argue that India will get a waiver here as it is a major US ally against China in the region and the US will not want to endanger this alliance.
