While the Narendra Modi government has been tight-lipped about the entire project, officials with direct knowledge of the matter told the Hindustan Times that all five units would be deployed in deep areas to counter threats from China.

All five units of the S-400 system, which can shoot down enemy aircraft or missiles at a range of 40km to 400km, are expected to enter service next year.

The S-400 system was purchased from Russia in a $5 billion deal signed in October 2018.

Beijing is reluctant to restore the status quo at Gogra Hot Springs in April 2020, nor India’s presence in Depsang, as the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army have faced off at the 597-kilometer Line of Actual Control in Ladakh since May 2020. Raised Unhindered Patrol Rights Daulet Beg Oldi (DBO) Sector and Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) Demchok Sector. The PLA has deployed two S-400 systems at the LACs in Ngari Gar Gunsa (opposite Demjok) and Nyingchi (opposite Arunachal Pradesh), with the remaining three to counter threats from the Indo-Pacific region.

James O’Brien, the U.S. State Department’s sanctions policy coordinator nominated by President Joe Biden, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing last Wednesday that while the U.S. does not encourage India from Russia Purchase of S-400 systems, but Washington decided only after weighing important geostrategic considerations before doing so under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (or CAATSA; a law designed to punish Russia, North Korea, and Iran, and countries dealing with them) Sanctioning India, or granting exemptions in relations with China. He said it was difficult to compare India with Turkey, which has been sanctioned by the United States for buying S-400 systems from Russia, because the latter is a NATO ally and violates traditional agreements on defense procurement systems. By contrast, India is an increasingly important partner and has a traditional defense relationship with Russia.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times