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| S-400 SAM (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
The Defense Acquisition Council has approved the purchase of five units of the advanced missile defense system.
The Indian government has cleared the procurement of five regimental units of Russian-made S-400 Triumf advanced Air Defense Systems (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) at an estimated price of $ 4.5 billion, Defense News reports.
The Defense Acquisition Council (DCA), a government body charged with approving Indian defense purchases and chaired by the defense minister, Manohar Parrikar, approved the order on December 17.
According to a Ministry of Defense (MOD) official, an advance team left for Moscow on December 17 to negotiate details of the largest-ever defense deal between India and Russia. The DCA approval is an “acceptance of necessity” for the team to formally negotiate the government-to-government deal.
A contract could be signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow on December 24-25. According to Defense News, however, the MOD source characterized the Russian reaction to India’s desire to purchase the new weapon system as “lukewarm.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat