India to buy Russian air defence systems

India's Defence Acquisition Council has cleared the purchase of five S-400 air defence systems from Russia, two defence ministry sources said yesterday.

One of the sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the deal is expected to cost around 300 billion rupees ($4.52 billion) but that the final price tag would be negotiated during the procurement process, reports Reuters.

India's air defences are old and outdated and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who heads to Moscow later this month to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, is keen to modernise the country's defences against airborne attacks.

Sources said the acquisition of the S-400 system, which has a range from 40 to 400 km, depending on the missile fired, could be through the Request for Proposals (RFP) or government-to-government route.

The acquisition will be discussed between Modi and Putin and may figure in the joint statement.

Although the military had earlier projected a requirement of a dozen S-400 systems, the defence ministry is clear that only five systems are sufficient to take care of the future airborne threat from across India's borders, reports Hindustan Times. 

The S-400 is a proven antiaircraft system, and is widely considered the most advanced of its kind in the world, with the capability of engaging missiles as well as aircraft. It comes with a mobile launcher and a threat detection radar-cum-command centre. The deal includes purchase of some 6,000 missiles from Russia.