Amid the fresh geopolitical tensions, New Delhi and Moscow have begun negotiations for the supply of more S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India, reports said on Tuesday.
India already has three Russian-made S-400 systems, which had played a key role in the Operation Sindoor and the ensuing military confrontation with Pakistan in May.
"There is potential to expand our cooperation in this area. That means new deliveries. For now, we are in the negotiation stage,” Dmitry Shugayev, head of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, told TASS news agency.
In 2018, India had signed a $5.5 billion deal with Russia for five S-400 Triumf long-range surface-to-air missile systems. Moscow has already delivered three units, with the first unit delivered in 2021.
The final two S-400 systems to India are expected to be delivered in 2026 and 2027, said the report.
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The S-400 is considered one of the world’s most advanced and deadliest surface-to-air missile systems. It integrates a multi-function radar, anti-aircraft missile systems, mobile launchers, autonomous detection and targeting systems, and a command and control centre.
It can locate targets at 600 kilometres and destroy them at 400 kilometres.
India has strategically deployed its S-400 squadrons, with key installations in Pathankot, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
The new report comes amid mounting pressure from the US on New Delhi to reduce arms and oil deals with Moscow. Russia accounted for 36 per cent of India's arms imports between 2020 and 2024.
The relations between India and the US witnessed a dramatic downturn in the recent weeks after President Donald Trump imposed a whopping 50 per cent tariff on Indian imports, citing New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil and arms.
As the trade war raged, Reuters news agency claimed that India put on hold its plans to procure new US weapons and aircraft, though the External Affairs Ministry dismissed the report as “fabricated”.