Probably.
But how many time to do so ? 10 years? S500 will be ready then.
India has the talent to do everything, but bureaucraty and seriousless are really problematic.
We ve already prepared to buy Sirkosky helis for navy and next order of P8I ..
We are already weaning off Russian platforms since Chinese is catching upto Russian levels and Russia also selling them blue prints & weapons..
Trump just had to wait & watch India buy more Non Russian weapons .
Instead Trump seems to force India leading to moving away from US .
We already have one in place Barak-8 with Israel medium range
Our Akash system are reliable against short range
LR Sam is already in developing with our AAD intercept
We already acheived Success with n BMD interception for ballistic missiles
I don't think so S-400 is that reliable against Ballastic missiles
I Put my money on Arrow 3 or Aegis defence system
I don't think so.
One is made with US money and probably US components, the others fully US. No way for this "US" reason.
My bet on S400.
Arrow 3 is Israel system and we have programs running with like barak-8.David sling is still under testing but soon will fullfleged system
At this time US wants anything to make India opt out from Russian weapons
We also have Compatible radars like swordfish for our own bmd that has Israeli orgin
So in my view it will be perfect for us to go for Israel our time tested ally
Arrow 3 is, at least, partially paid by USA (because too costly for a small country like Israel, and because US wants to have on eye on this cruxial tech).
And probably using US components. So under the ITAR regulation.
Barak or David Sling are tactical weapons. Arrow 3 is another kind of beast.
Arrow 3 was offered to India back in 2010 but was shooted off by US
Rules can shifted for India we have seen that in Indian required agreement's. US lawmakers demonstrated that various time in past
IAM sure many Minds in pentagon wants to take partnership further both Republicans and Democrats want that
If Trump wouldn't happened and he bush or Paul Ryan were in power at capital Hill
We have might not have to witness this mockery
Nevertheless power still lies in the hand of Senate and congress when it comes to India
Let's see what happend.
My bet is on S400.
Narendra Modi government saving $1 billion in Russian missile deal
At a time when the defence ministry is focussing on using modernisation funds efficiently, the Narendra Modi government has managed to save almost a billion dollars in the S-400 air defence missile system deal set to be finalised with Russia by the end of this year.
The S-400 air defence missile system can engage incoming enemy combat aircraft, surveillance platforms and even ballistic missiles at a distance of around 380 kilometres very effectively.
“The negotiations have been completed with the Russian side and we have been able to get a discount of around $960 million in the negotiations with the Russian side,” top government sources told My Nation on condition of anonymity.
The Acceptance of Necessity (AON) — the budget approved by the Defence Ministry for the deal — was around $6.2 billion but the negotiations committee managed to keep the deal at around $5.3 billion, the sources said.
Generally, the final price of weapon systems always exceeds the amount approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC).
The main reason behind getting the discount, sources said, was the American sanction CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) through which the US wants to ban the procurement of the S-400 missiles by other countries.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sithraman has directed the acquisition wing of the Defence Ministry to go in for tough negotiations with vendors to get discounts on deals as every single rupee saved will help in further modernisation of forces.
Despite the American sanctions, India is moving ahead with the procurement of this missile system as China already has inducted it in its inventory and there is a possibility that Pakistan may also go in for them if India does not buy it.
However, Russians, fearing the Chinese reverse - engineering tactics to develop their own systems, have only supplied a truncated version of the S-400 to Beijing while India is getting the full version.
The Americans are likely to offer an alternative to the S-400 missiles to dissuade India against the S-400 deal, but the Russian system is seen as game changer by the Air Force. When deployed, missile system's five regiments would act as a shield against any missile or other aerial attack on the country.
Sources said, in order to get a discount on defence deals, the defence ministry has instructed the negotiation committees to go in for a tough bargain and get discounts like the ones they got in the Rafale aircraft deal and this missile deal.
At a time when the defence ministry is focussing on using modernisation funds efficiently, the Narendra Modi government has managed to save almost a billion dollars in the S-400 air defence missile system deal set to be finalised with Russia by the end of this year.
The S-400 air defence missile system can engage incoming enemy combat aircraft, surveillance platforms and even ballistic missiles at a distance of around 380 kilometres very effectively.
“The negotiations have been completed with the Russian side and we have been able to get a discount of around $960 million in the negotiations with the Russian side,” top government sources told My Nation on condition of anonymity.
The Acceptance of Necessity (AON) — the budget approved by the Defence Ministry for the deal — was around $6.2 billion but the negotiations committee managed to keep the deal at around $5.3 billion, the sources said.
Generally, the final price of weapon systems always exceeds the amount approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC).
The main reason behind getting the discount, sources said, was the American sanction CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) through which the US wants to ban the procurement of the S-400 missiles by other countries.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sithraman has directed the acquisition wing of the Defence Ministry to go in for tough negotiations with vendors to get discounts on deals as every single rupee saved will help in further modernisation of forces.
Despite the American sanctions, India is moving ahead with the procurement of this missile system as China already has inducted it in its inventory and there is a possibility that Pakistan may also go in for them if India does not buy it.
However, Russians, fearing the Chinese reverse - engineering tactics to develop their own systems, have only supplied a truncated version of the S-400 to Beijing while India is getting the full version.
The Americans are likely to offer an alternative to the S-400 missiles to dissuade India against the S-400 deal, but the Russian system is seen as game changer by the Air Force. When deployed, missile system's five regiments would act as a shield against any missile or other aerial attack on the country.
Sources said, in order to get a discount on defence deals, the defence ministry has instructed the negotiation committees to go in for a tough bargain and get discounts like the ones they got in the Rafale aircraft deal and this missile deal.
Analyst Outlines Three Reasons Why US Doesn't Want India to Buy Russia's S-400
While India is pushing ahead with the purchase of S-400 Triumf, Russia’s cutting-edge air defense system, the US has a number of reasons to blow a fuse over the deal, Rakesh Krishnan Simha, New Zealand-based journalist, foreign affairs analyst and military observer, told Sputnik.
Speaking to Sputnik, Rakesh Krishnan Simha, journalist, foreign affairs analyst and military observer has explained why Washington is deeply displeased with New Delhi's acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.
"Widely acknowledged as the world's most powerful anti-aircraft and anti-missile system, the S-400 is a development of the S-75 missile that famously shot down the American U-2 spy plane over Russia in 1960. Its potency is the reason why countries like China, India, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are lining up to buy the missile defense system. With a tracking range of 600 km; the ability to destroy hostile aerial targets at a range of up to 400 km and altitude of 30 km at a blistering speed of 17,000 km an hour, the S-400 is a truly lethal air defense weapon," Simha emphasized.
However, the US has signaled that it does not welcome the S-400 deal inked by Moscow and New Delhi in 2016.
"There is a lot of concern in the US, in both the administration and the Congress, over the S-400 system," Chairman of the US Arms Service Committee Mac Thornberry told the press in late May as quoted by The Hindu. "There is concern that any country and not just India that acquires that system will complicate our ability to work towards interoperability together."
According to the media outlet, Thornberry added that these concerns "were separate" from Washington's sanctions imposed on the Russian defense industry under the "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act" (Public Law 115-44) (CAATSA) in August 2017.
Earlier, US lawmakers protested against Ankara's acquisition of the Russian-made air defense system. Their wrath was understandable given Turkey's NATO membership. Besides, American policymakers believe that simultaneous exploitation of S-400 and US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets by Turkey may expose both secret capabilities and vulnerabilities of the new warplane.
However, India is not a NATO member-state and has no appetite for procuring Lockheed Martin's F-35. So, what's the fuss about then? According to Simha, there are several reasons for it.
From left: Soldiers from India, Russia and Angola take part in training sessions during the International Army Games-2015 at the Alabino training center in the Moscow Region
S-400 to Further Strengthen Russian-Indian Defense Ties
"The S-400 is a rare example of a non-nuclear missile that is virtually a strategic weapon. Such mega deals bind the seller and buyer into a strategic embrace for the life of the weapon. Considering the longevity of Russian air defense missiles (in the 1990s the Serbians shot down a US stealth fighter with a 30 year old Russian SAM), the S-400 could remain at the heart of India's missile defense network for decades. Since the US is attempting to pry away India from its defense partnership with Russia, the S-400 is one of the top obstacles to the US plan," the military observer underscored.
On the other hand, "many nations follow India's lead when it comes to big-ticket weapons purchases," Simha noted. According to the journalist, the Indian military forces are known as picky buyers who "put weapons through years of user trials" before acquiring them.
"So the American worry is that once India acquires the S-400, it will have a domino effect on other nations that have historically bought US weapons," the journalist highlighted. "However, after India inked the S-400 deal, a number of pro-American nations such as Saudi Arabia, Qatarand Turkey approached Russia."
© SPUTNIK / RUSLAN KRIVOBOK Night launch of S-400 Triumf missiles from an anti-aircraft weapon system at Ashuluk proving grounds during an Aerospace Defence Forces tactical drill
A Game-Changer in South Asia
Second, the system may potentially have an impact on Pakistan's defense and the balance of power in the region, Simha presumed citing longstanding ties between Washington and Islamabad.
"The S-400 will have the effect of turning a defensive system into an offensive system, and extend India's A2/AD (anti-access/area-denial) umbrella over the territory of Pakistan as well as on China's fringes," the analyst underscored. "The air defense system will increase the vulnerability of all Pakistani air assets, especially fighter aircraft, cruise missiles and drones, by several orders of magnitude. Due to their massive 600 km tracking range — and a 400 km kill range — just three S-400 battalions located on the border will cover all of Pakistan, except the largely barren western extremity of the restive Balochistan province."
According to the military observer, the potential deployment of S-400 on the India-Pakistan border may tip the balance in India's favor which does not play into Washington's hands: "After all, the Pakistani military continues to have strong links with the Pentagon which is a Cold War relic," he suggested.
"The US does not want the strategic balance in South Asia to become one-sided towards New Delhi," Simha opined. "Despite its professed friendship, the US views India as a long-term economic rival with a totally different world view."
An Effective Counter-Stealth Weapon
Third, "the S-400 is also an effective counter-stealth weapon," Simha stressed, suggesting that "the proliferation of S-400 systems around the world will expose the F-35 stealth fighter's weaknesses."
The military observer highlighted that there is no such thing as "stealth" aircraft for the Russian-made air defense system, referring to reports unveiling the S-400 outstanding military capabilities.
"The latest American jet has been highly controversial because it has been slammed by a number of aviation experts as being underpowered, under-armed and not stealthy at all," the journalist underscored. "The S-400 could further expose the F-35's shortcomings and leave the entire US defense establishment red-faced as all families of American jet fighters will eventually be replaced by this single stealth jet."
While India is pushing ahead with the purchase of S-400 Triumf, Russia’s cutting-edge air defense system, the US has a number of reasons to blow a fuse over the deal, Rakesh Krishnan Simha, New Zealand-based journalist, foreign affairs analyst and military observer, told Sputnik.
Speaking to Sputnik, Rakesh Krishnan Simha, journalist, foreign affairs analyst and military observer has explained why Washington is deeply displeased with New Delhi's acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.
"Widely acknowledged as the world's most powerful anti-aircraft and anti-missile system, the S-400 is a development of the S-75 missile that famously shot down the American U-2 spy plane over Russia in 1960. Its potency is the reason why countries like China, India, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are lining up to buy the missile defense system. With a tracking range of 600 km; the ability to destroy hostile aerial targets at a range of up to 400 km and altitude of 30 km at a blistering speed of 17,000 km an hour, the S-400 is a truly lethal air defense weapon," Simha emphasized.
However, the US has signaled that it does not welcome the S-400 deal inked by Moscow and New Delhi in 2016.
"There is a lot of concern in the US, in both the administration and the Congress, over the S-400 system," Chairman of the US Arms Service Committee Mac Thornberry told the press in late May as quoted by The Hindu. "There is concern that any country and not just India that acquires that system will complicate our ability to work towards interoperability together."
According to the media outlet, Thornberry added that these concerns "were separate" from Washington's sanctions imposed on the Russian defense industry under the "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act" (Public Law 115-44) (CAATSA) in August 2017.
Earlier, US lawmakers protested against Ankara's acquisition of the Russian-made air defense system. Their wrath was understandable given Turkey's NATO membership. Besides, American policymakers believe that simultaneous exploitation of S-400 and US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets by Turkey may expose both secret capabilities and vulnerabilities of the new warplane.
However, India is not a NATO member-state and has no appetite for procuring Lockheed Martin's F-35. So, what's the fuss about then? According to Simha, there are several reasons for it.
From left: Soldiers from India, Russia and Angola take part in training sessions during the International Army Games-2015 at the Alabino training center in the Moscow Region
S-400 to Further Strengthen Russian-Indian Defense Ties
"The S-400 is a rare example of a non-nuclear missile that is virtually a strategic weapon. Such mega deals bind the seller and buyer into a strategic embrace for the life of the weapon. Considering the longevity of Russian air defense missiles (in the 1990s the Serbians shot down a US stealth fighter with a 30 year old Russian SAM), the S-400 could remain at the heart of India's missile defense network for decades. Since the US is attempting to pry away India from its defense partnership with Russia, the S-400 is one of the top obstacles to the US plan," the military observer underscored.
On the other hand, "many nations follow India's lead when it comes to big-ticket weapons purchases," Simha noted. According to the journalist, the Indian military forces are known as picky buyers who "put weapons through years of user trials" before acquiring them.
"So the American worry is that once India acquires the S-400, it will have a domino effect on other nations that have historically bought US weapons," the journalist highlighted. "However, after India inked the S-400 deal, a number of pro-American nations such as Saudi Arabia, Qatarand Turkey approached Russia."
© SPUTNIK / RUSLAN KRIVOBOK Night launch of S-400 Triumf missiles from an anti-aircraft weapon system at Ashuluk proving grounds during an Aerospace Defence Forces tactical drill
A Game-Changer in South Asia
Second, the system may potentially have an impact on Pakistan's defense and the balance of power in the region, Simha presumed citing longstanding ties between Washington and Islamabad.
"The S-400 will have the effect of turning a defensive system into an offensive system, and extend India's A2/AD (anti-access/area-denial) umbrella over the territory of Pakistan as well as on China's fringes," the analyst underscored. "The air defense system will increase the vulnerability of all Pakistani air assets, especially fighter aircraft, cruise missiles and drones, by several orders of magnitude. Due to their massive 600 km tracking range — and a 400 km kill range — just three S-400 battalions located on the border will cover all of Pakistan, except the largely barren western extremity of the restive Balochistan province."
According to the military observer, the potential deployment of S-400 on the India-Pakistan border may tip the balance in India's favor which does not play into Washington's hands: "After all, the Pakistani military continues to have strong links with the Pentagon which is a Cold War relic," he suggested.
"The US does not want the strategic balance in South Asia to become one-sided towards New Delhi," Simha opined. "Despite its professed friendship, the US views India as a long-term economic rival with a totally different world view."
An Effective Counter-Stealth Weapon
Third, "the S-400 is also an effective counter-stealth weapon," Simha stressed, suggesting that "the proliferation of S-400 systems around the world will expose the F-35 stealth fighter's weaknesses."
The military observer highlighted that there is no such thing as "stealth" aircraft for the Russian-made air defense system, referring to reports unveiling the S-400 outstanding military capabilities.
"The latest American jet has been highly controversial because it has been slammed by a number of aviation experts as being underpowered, under-armed and not stealthy at all," the journalist underscored. "The S-400 could further expose the F-35's shortcomings and leave the entire US defense establishment red-faced as all families of American jet fighters will eventually be replaced by this single stealth jet."
Trump is mad.Analyst Outlines Three Reasons Why US Doesn't Want India to Buy Russia's S-400
While India is pushing ahead with the purchase of S-400 Triumf, Russia’s cutting-edge air defense system, the US has a number of reasons to blow a fuse over the deal, Rakesh Krishnan Simha, New Zealand-based journalist, foreign affairs analyst and military observer, told Sputnik.
Speaking to Sputnik, Rakesh Krishnan Simha, journalist, foreign affairs analyst and military observer has explained why Washington is deeply displeased with New Delhi's acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.
"Widely acknowledged as the world's most powerful anti-aircraft and anti-missile system, the S-400 is a development of the S-75 missile that famously shot down the American U-2 spy plane over Russia in 1960. Its potency is the reason why countries like China, India, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are lining up to buy the missile defense system. With a tracking range of 600 km; the ability to destroy hostile aerial targets at a range of up to 400 km and altitude of 30 km at a blistering speed of 17,000 km an hour, the S-400 is a truly lethal air defense weapon," Simha emphasized.
However, the US has signaled that it does not welcome the S-400 deal inked by Moscow and New Delhi in 2016.
"There is a lot of concern in the US, in both the administration and the Congress, over the S-400 system," Chairman of the US Arms Service Committee Mac Thornberry told the press in late May as quoted by The Hindu. "There is concern that any country and not just India that acquires that system will complicate our ability to work towards interoperability together."
According to the media outlet, Thornberry added that these concerns "were separate" from Washington's sanctions imposed on the Russian defense industry under the "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act" (Public Law 115-44) (CAATSA) in August 2017.
Earlier, US lawmakers protested against Ankara's acquisition of the Russian-made air defense system. Their wrath was understandable given Turkey's NATO membership. Besides, American policymakers believe that simultaneous exploitation of S-400 and US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets by Turkey may expose both secret capabilities and vulnerabilities of the new warplane.
However, India is not a NATO member-state and has no appetite for procuring Lockheed Martin's F-35. So, what's the fuss about then? According to Simha, there are several reasons for it.
From left: Soldiers from India, Russia and Angola take part in training sessions during the International Army Games-2015 at the Alabino training center in the Moscow Region
S-400 to Further Strengthen Russian-Indian Defense Ties
"The S-400 is a rare example of a non-nuclear missile that is virtually a strategic weapon. Such mega deals bind the seller and buyer into a strategic embrace for the life of the weapon. Considering the longevity of Russian air defense missiles (in the 1990s the Serbians shot down a US stealth fighter with a 30 year old Russian SAM), the S-400 could remain at the heart of India's missile defense network for decades. Since the US is attempting to pry away India from its defense partnership with Russia, the S-400 is one of the top obstacles to the US plan," the military observer underscored.
On the other hand, "many nations follow India's lead when it comes to big-ticket weapons purchases," Simha noted. According to the journalist, the Indian military forces are known as picky buyers who "put weapons through years of user trials" before acquiring them.
"So the American worry is that once India acquires the S-400, it will have a domino effect on other nations that have historically bought US weapons," the journalist highlighted. "However, after India inked the S-400 deal, a number of pro-American nations such as Saudi Arabia, Qatarand Turkey approached Russia."
© SPUTNIK / RUSLAN KRIVOBOK Night launch of S-400 Triumf missiles from an anti-aircraft weapon system at Ashuluk proving grounds during an Aerospace Defence Forces tactical drill
A Game-Changer in South Asia
Second, the system may potentially have an impact on Pakistan's defense and the balance of power in the region, Simha presumed citing longstanding ties between Washington and Islamabad.
"The S-400 will have the effect of turning a defensive system into an offensive system, and extend India's A2/AD (anti-access/area-denial) umbrella over the territory of Pakistan as well as on China's fringes," the analyst underscored. "The air defense system will increase the vulnerability of all Pakistani air assets, especially fighter aircraft, cruise missiles and drones, by several orders of magnitude. Due to their massive 600 km tracking range — and a 400 km kill range — just three S-400 battalions located on the border will cover all of Pakistan, except the largely barren western extremity of the restive Balochistan province."
According to the military observer, the potential deployment of S-400 on the India-Pakistan border may tip the balance in India's favor which does not play into Washington's hands: "After all, the Pakistani military continues to have strong links with the Pentagon which is a Cold War relic," he suggested.
"The US does not want the strategic balance in South Asia to become one-sided towards New Delhi," Simha opined. "Despite its professed friendship, the US views India as a long-term economic rival with a totally different world view."
An Effective Counter-Stealth Weapon
Third, "the S-400 is also an effective counter-stealth weapon," Simha stressed, suggesting that "the proliferation of S-400 systems around the world will expose the F-35 stealth fighter's weaknesses."
The military observer highlighted that there is no such thing as "stealth" aircraft for the Russian-made air defense system, referring to reports unveiling the S-400 outstanding military capabilities.
"The latest American jet has been highly controversial because it has been slammed by a number of aviation experts as being underpowered, under-armed and not stealthy at all," the journalist underscored. "The S-400 could further expose the F-35's shortcomings and leave the entire US defense establishment red-faced as all families of American jet fighters will eventually be replaced by this single stealth jet."
He declared next days that Russia, China and Europe are ennemy ! For different reasons... but ennemy... He is totally mad.
India, Europe must resist to this new kind of fool leadership.
India : take S400.
Belgium : don't take F35
....
And because NL and B are more and more nearer, it may be interesting to have two models, because F35 is mainly made for air to ground, and only rely on stealth (not agile, not fast). A second plane more potent in air to air (EF, Rafale) has a sens.
When, because it's only a question of time, stealth will be break (thanks to multistatic radars for exemple), F35 will only be a fat, slow, poorly agile duck in a sky surrounded by agile and energyfull eagles. A kind of new Tornado ADV (that, at least, can be fast).
S-400: The geopolitical missile
In an off-the-record conversation, a senior air force commander uses the word 'game-changer' three times to refer to the Russian S-400 long-range missile system. "The system can knock down anything that flies, at a range of nearly 400 kilometres," he says. In Washington, suspense over a different game-to persuade India from not going ahead with a proposed $4.5 billion (Rs 39,000 crore) buy of five S-400 missile systems-ended with the US Senate and House on July 24 finally passing a modified version of a bill that allows India to buy the Russian weapon system without the threat of US sanctions.
As late as July 21, it appeared India would attract US sanctions under what is called the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). The bill, which came into effect this year, penalises countries doing business with arms firms in Russia, North Korea and Iran. The US state department issued a statement terming the S-400 sale as 'potentially sanctionable activity'. In the end, Indian officials say, it was US defense secretary James Mattis, an ardent proponent of a CAATSA waiver for India, who prevailed over the US state department.
The Modi government's gambit of digging its heels in seems to have paid off. Modifications to Section 231 of CAATSA enable the US president to waive sales like the S-400 to protect US alliances, like the one it has with India. "The deal is almost at a conclusive stage," defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the media recently.
It is hard to recall the last time the acquisition of a single weapon system by India became such a huge foreign policy challenge as it has with the S-400. Sitharaman recently said the Indian side had conveyed to the US that India had time-tested relations with Russia, the S-400 deal was being negotiated for several years and that CAATSA was a US law and not a UN law, implying it did not apply to India.
The CAATSA waiver comes just before India's first '2+2 dialogue' with the US. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo and defense secretary James Mattis will be meeting their Indian counterparts, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and Sitharaman, in New Delhi on September 8. The missile deal itself is likely to be signed during another important meeting-Prime Minister Modi's summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin in India later this year.
The US is India's largest arms supplier after Russia. US firms have sold India over $10 billion worth of military hardware, mainly aircraft, over the last decade. The IAF operates frontline US aircraft like the C-17 Globemaster, the C-130-J Super Hercules and will soon receive Apache helicopter gunships and Chinook transport helicopters. A key worry among US policymakers is that radar signatures and transmission frequencies of their aircraft being exposed to the S-400 missile system and used by Russia to counter them in other potential conflict zones. India is believed to be working on ways to assuage these concerns. Apart from the game changer it is perceived to be, the IAF sees the S-400 'Triumf' as an absolute necessity and part of its offensive-defence strategy of maintaining a credible deterrence along two fronts with China and Pakistan.
The S-400 is an integrated, highly-mobile system of radars and missiles of different ranges to address multiple threats. "Deploying one weapon system allows you to cover an entire spectrum of aerial threats," a senior IAF officer explains. Its 'Tombstone' radar can acquire up to 300 targets nearly 600 km away. Which means, from their locations in India, the system can peer deep inside Pakistani territory and pick up aircraft as soon as they are airborne. Deployed along the eastern border with China, the missile system can easily monitor fighter jets taking off from airfields along the Tibetan plateau.
The system has four different missiles, from the 400-km range 40N6 which can knock out early warning aircraft, fighter jets and tactical ballistic missiles, to the 100-km range 9M96E which can neutralise manoeuvring targets like air-launched cruise missiles and smart bombs. It is a missile system that is frequently used by Moscow to make a geopolitical statement.
In the mid '90s, the DRDO had briefly considered acquiring the long-range radars of an earlier version, the S-300V. (It finally got the Israeli Swordfish long-range radar.)
The IAF sees in the S-400 an answer to its shrinking fighter strength. It has 33 squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 39.squadrons and even this number is likely to shrink to 19 by 2027 when 14 squadrons of MiG-21, MiG-27 and MiG-29 aircraft are retired. The last batch of 18 Su-30 MKI fighters are rolling off the production lines of HAL's Nashik factory. The only acquisition on the horizon in the short term are 36 Rafales from France to be delivered by 2021. "That's what makes the deployment of the S-400 an absolute necessity," a senior IAF officer says. "The missile will free up our multi-role fighters to do other tasks like air-to-ground missions instead of being tied up in the air superiority role."
A parliamentary standing committee on defence report tabled in the Lok Sabha in March this year called the long-range system a 'high priority requirement' for the IAF.
In his deposition before the standing committee chairman, the IAF's Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal S.B. Deo said the system would 'substantially change our posture, both towards the adversary in the Northern Front as well as the one on the Western Front'.
The missile acquisition is also a reaffirmation of India's defence relationship with Russia. Apart from a 20-year ongoing Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, there are virtually no joint development defence projects between India and Russia. Russia has, in recent years, lost a number of defence contracts to US firms and has watched India replace, in some cases like long-range maritime patrol aircraft for the navy and strategic airlift for the air force, its entire inventory of Soviet hardware with US-made systems. The last batch of Sukhoi Su-30s, part of a 2001 deal to licence-produce 272 of the Russian jets, are now rolling off the production lines at HAL, Nashik. No additional orders are likely. Earlier this year, the MoD pulled out of an Indo-Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), after investing $295 million and 11 years in the project. A deal to co-produce Kamov Ka-226 helicopters for the three armed forces has been dogged by starting issues. The S-400 could thus be more than just a game-changer if it dodges US sanctions.
In an off-the-record conversation, a senior air force commander uses the word 'game-changer' three times to refer to the Russian S-400 long-range missile system. "The system can knock down anything that flies, at a range of nearly 400 kilometres," he says. In Washington, suspense over a different game-to persuade India from not going ahead with a proposed $4.5 billion (Rs 39,000 crore) buy of five S-400 missile systems-ended with the US Senate and House on July 24 finally passing a modified version of a bill that allows India to buy the Russian weapon system without the threat of US sanctions.
As late as July 21, it appeared India would attract US sanctions under what is called the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). The bill, which came into effect this year, penalises countries doing business with arms firms in Russia, North Korea and Iran. The US state department issued a statement terming the S-400 sale as 'potentially sanctionable activity'. In the end, Indian officials say, it was US defense secretary James Mattis, an ardent proponent of a CAATSA waiver for India, who prevailed over the US state department.
The Modi government's gambit of digging its heels in seems to have paid off. Modifications to Section 231 of CAATSA enable the US president to waive sales like the S-400 to protect US alliances, like the one it has with India. "The deal is almost at a conclusive stage," defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the media recently.
It is hard to recall the last time the acquisition of a single weapon system by India became such a huge foreign policy challenge as it has with the S-400. Sitharaman recently said the Indian side had conveyed to the US that India had time-tested relations with Russia, the S-400 deal was being negotiated for several years and that CAATSA was a US law and not a UN law, implying it did not apply to India.
We made it clear that CAATSA was a US law and not a UN law. Negotiations for the (S-400) missiles have been on for several years.
- Nirmala Sitharaman, Defence MinisterThe CAATSA waiver comes just before India's first '2+2 dialogue' with the US. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo and defense secretary James Mattis will be meeting their Indian counterparts, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and Sitharaman, in New Delhi on September 8. The missile deal itself is likely to be signed during another important meeting-Prime Minister Modi's summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin in India later this year.
The US is India's largest arms supplier after Russia. US firms have sold India over $10 billion worth of military hardware, mainly aircraft, over the last decade. The IAF operates frontline US aircraft like the C-17 Globemaster, the C-130-J Super Hercules and will soon receive Apache helicopter gunships and Chinook transport helicopters. A key worry among US policymakers is that radar signatures and transmission frequencies of their aircraft being exposed to the S-400 missile system and used by Russia to counter them in other potential conflict zones. India is believed to be working on ways to assuage these concerns. Apart from the game changer it is perceived to be, the IAF sees the S-400 'Triumf' as an absolute necessity and part of its offensive-defence strategy of maintaining a credible deterrence along two fronts with China and Pakistan.
The S-400 is an integrated, highly-mobile system of radars and missiles of different ranges to address multiple threats. "Deploying one weapon system allows you to cover an entire spectrum of aerial threats," a senior IAF officer explains. Its 'Tombstone' radar can acquire up to 300 targets nearly 600 km away. Which means, from their locations in India, the system can peer deep inside Pakistani territory and pick up aircraft as soon as they are airborne. Deployed along the eastern border with China, the missile system can easily monitor fighter jets taking off from airfields along the Tibetan plateau.
The system has four different missiles, from the 400-km range 40N6 which can knock out early warning aircraft, fighter jets and tactical ballistic missiles, to the 100-km range 9M96E which can neutralise manoeuvring targets like air-launched cruise missiles and smart bombs. It is a missile system that is frequently used by Moscow to make a geopolitical statement.
In the mid '90s, the DRDO had briefly considered acquiring the long-range radars of an earlier version, the S-300V. (It finally got the Israeli Swordfish long-range radar.)
The IAF sees in the S-400 an answer to its shrinking fighter strength. It has 33 squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 39.squadrons and even this number is likely to shrink to 19 by 2027 when 14 squadrons of MiG-21, MiG-27 and MiG-29 aircraft are retired. The last batch of 18 Su-30 MKI fighters are rolling off the production lines of HAL's Nashik factory. The only acquisition on the horizon in the short term are 36 Rafales from France to be delivered by 2021. "That's what makes the deployment of the S-400 an absolute necessity," a senior IAF officer says. "The missile will free up our multi-role fighters to do other tasks like air-to-ground missions instead of being tied up in the air superiority role."
A parliamentary standing committee on defence report tabled in the Lok Sabha in March this year called the long-range system a 'high priority requirement' for the IAF.
In his deposition before the standing committee chairman, the IAF's Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal S.B. Deo said the system would 'substantially change our posture, both towards the adversary in the Northern Front as well as the one on the Western Front'.
THE CAATSA CHANGE THAT BENEFITS INDIA: The National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) specifying the budgetary spends of the US military has inserted a modified waiver to Section 231 of CAATSA, enabling 'presidential certifications designed to protect US alliances, military operations and sensitive technology; encourage allies and partners to reduce inventory of Russian-produced major defense equipment and advanced conventional weapons'.
The S-400 will sit atop the IAF's pan-India Integrated Command and Control System (IACCS) which aims, for the first time, to provide a comprehensive picture of Indian airspace by linking all ground and airborne sensors and air defence assets into a single grid. An upgrade of IACCS-2 costing some Rs 8,000 crore adding four more nodes in the grid was approved in July 2018. The system will give a composite air situation picture integrating all air force, navy, army and civilian radars. It augments critical gaps in the IAF's air defence umbrella which, after decades of neglect, has acquired a lethal edge. In the 12th plan, the iaf has inducted Akash missile systems, medium- and high-powered radars, low-level lightweight radars, low-level tracking radars, AEW&C and AWACS and Ground-Based Mobile Electronic Intelligence Systems (GBMES) and balloon-based Aerostat radars.The missile acquisition is also a reaffirmation of India's defence relationship with Russia. Apart from a 20-year ongoing Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, there are virtually no joint development defence projects between India and Russia. Russia has, in recent years, lost a number of defence contracts to US firms and has watched India replace, in some cases like long-range maritime patrol aircraft for the navy and strategic airlift for the air force, its entire inventory of Soviet hardware with US-made systems. The last batch of Sukhoi Su-30s, part of a 2001 deal to licence-produce 272 of the Russian jets, are now rolling off the production lines at HAL, Nashik. No additional orders are likely. Earlier this year, the MoD pulled out of an Indo-Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), after investing $295 million and 11 years in the project. A deal to co-produce Kamov Ka-226 helicopters for the three armed forces has been dogged by starting issues. The S-400 could thus be more than just a game-changer if it dodges US sanctions.
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How long it will take to be delivered and get operational?S-400: The geopolitical missile
In an off-the-record conversation, a senior air force commander uses the word 'game-changer' three times to refer to the Russian S-400 long-range missile system. "The system can knock down anything that flies, at a range of nearly 400 kilometres," he says. In Washington, suspense over a different game-to persuade India from not going ahead with a proposed $4.5 billion (Rs 39,000 crore) buy of five S-400 missile systems-ended with the US Senate and House on July 24 finally passing a modified version of a bill that allows India to buy the Russian weapon system without the threat of US sanctions.
As late as July 21, it appeared India would attract US sanctions under what is called the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). The bill, which came into effect this year, penalises countries doing business with arms firms in Russia, North Korea and Iran. The US state department issued a statement terming the S-400 sale as 'potentially sanctionable activity'. In the end, Indian officials say, it was US defense secretary James Mattis, an ardent proponent of a CAATSA waiver for India, who prevailed over the US state department.
The Modi government's gambit of digging its heels in seems to have paid off. Modifications to Section 231 of CAATSA enable the US president to waive sales like the S-400 to protect US alliances, like the one it has with India. "The deal is almost at a conclusive stage," defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the media recently.
It is hard to recall the last time the acquisition of a single weapon system by India became such a huge foreign policy challenge as it has with the S-400. Sitharaman recently said the Indian side had conveyed to the US that India had time-tested relations with Russia, the S-400 deal was being negotiated for several years and that CAATSA was a US law and not a UN law, implying it did not apply to India.
We made it clear that CAATSA was a US law and not a UN law. Negotiations for the (S-400) missiles have been on for several years.- Nirmala Sitharaman, Defence Minister
The CAATSA waiver comes just before India's first '2+2 dialogue' with the US. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo and defense secretary James Mattis will be meeting their Indian counterparts, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and Sitharaman, in New Delhi on September 8. The missile deal itself is likely to be signed during another important meeting-Prime Minister Modi's summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin in India later this year.
The US is India's largest arms supplier after Russia. US firms have sold India over $10 billion worth of military hardware, mainly aircraft, over the last decade. The IAF operates frontline US aircraft like the C-17 Globemaster, the C-130-J Super Hercules and will soon receive Apache helicopter gunships and Chinook transport helicopters. A key worry among US policymakers is that radar signatures and transmission frequencies of their aircraft being exposed to the S-400 missile system and used by Russia to counter them in other potential conflict zones. India is believed to be working on ways to assuage these concerns. Apart from the game changer it is perceived to be, the IAF sees the S-400 'Triumf' as an absolute necessity and part of its offensive-defence strategy of maintaining a credible deterrence along two fronts with China and Pakistan.
The S-400 is an integrated, highly-mobile system of radars and missiles of different ranges to address multiple threats. "Deploying one weapon system allows you to cover an entire spectrum of aerial threats," a senior IAF officer explains. Its 'Tombstone' radar can acquire up to 300 targets nearly 600 km away. Which means, from their locations in India, the system can peer deep inside Pakistani territory and pick up aircraft as soon as they are airborne. Deployed along the eastern border with China, the missile system can easily monitor fighter jets taking off from airfields along the Tibetan plateau.
The system has four different missiles, from the 400-km range 40N6 which can knock out early warning aircraft, fighter jets and tactical ballistic missiles, to the 100-km range 9M96E which can neutralise manoeuvring targets like air-launched cruise missiles and smart bombs. It is a missile system that is frequently used by Moscow to make a geopolitical statement.
In the mid '90s, the DRDO had briefly considered acquiring the long-range radars of an earlier version, the S-300V. (It finally got the Israeli Swordfish long-range radar.)
The IAF sees in the S-400 an answer to its shrinking fighter strength. It has 33 squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 39.squadrons and even this number is likely to shrink to 19 by 2027 when 14 squadrons of MiG-21, MiG-27 and MiG-29 aircraft are retired. The last batch of 18 Su-30 MKI fighters are rolling off the production lines of HAL's Nashik factory. The only acquisition on the horizon in the short term are 36 Rafales from France to be delivered by 2021. "That's what makes the deployment of the S-400 an absolute necessity," a senior IAF officer says. "The missile will free up our multi-role fighters to do other tasks like air-to-ground missions instead of being tied up in the air superiority role."
A parliamentary standing committee on defence report tabled in the Lok Sabha in March this year called the long-range system a 'high priority requirement' for the IAF.
In his deposition before the standing committee chairman, the IAF's Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal S.B. Deo said the system would 'substantially change our posture, both towards the adversary in the Northern Front as well as the one on the Western Front'.
THE CAATSA CHANGE THAT BENEFITS INDIA: The National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) specifying the budgetary spends of the US military has inserted a modified waiver to Section 231 of CAATSA, enabling 'presidential certifications designed to protect US alliances, military operations and sensitive technology; encourage allies and partners to reduce inventory of Russian-produced major defense equipment and advanced conventional weapons'.The S-400 will sit atop the IAF's pan-India Integrated Command and Control System (IACCS) which aims, for the first time, to provide a comprehensive picture of Indian airspace by linking all ground and airborne sensors and air defence assets into a single grid. An upgrade of IACCS-2 costing some Rs 8,000 crore adding four more nodes in the grid was approved in July 2018. The system will give a composite air situation picture integrating all air force, navy, army and civilian radars. It augments critical gaps in the IAF's air defence umbrella which, after decades of neglect, has acquired a lethal edge. In the 12th plan, the iaf has inducted Akash missile systems, medium- and high-powered radars, low-level lightweight radars, low-level tracking radars, AEW&C and AWACS and Ground-Based Mobile Electronic Intelligence Systems (GBMES) and balloon-based Aerostat radars.
The missile acquisition is also a reaffirmation of India's defence relationship with Russia. Apart from a 20-year ongoing Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, there are virtually no joint development defence projects between India and Russia. Russia has, in recent years, lost a number of defence contracts to US firms and has watched India replace, in some cases like long-range maritime patrol aircraft for the navy and strategic airlift for the air force, its entire inventory of Soviet hardware with US-made systems. The last batch of Sukhoi Su-30s, part of a 2001 deal to licence-produce 272 of the Russian jets, are now rolling off the production lines at HAL, Nashik. No additional orders are likely. Earlier this year, the MoD pulled out of an Indo-Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), after investing $295 million and 11 years in the project. A deal to co-produce Kamov Ka-226 helicopters for the three armed forces has been dogged by starting issues. The S-400 could thus be more than just a game-changer if it dodges US sanctions.
1st regiment from the 2nd year. Total delivery time is 5 years after contract is signed.