S-400 systems. FILE IMAGE: Alexey Malgavko / Sputnik
India’s Cabinet Committee on Security has given approval for the purchase of 5 advanced Russian S-400 air defense missiles systems, in the amount of $5.4 billion, according to an unnamed government official, cited by the Times of India on September 27th.
This report comes one week before Russian President Vladimir Putin visit to New Delhi for the bilateral annual summit.
The Cabinet Committee on Security led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi need to provide final approval for any defense procurement before signing of a contract. If the information provided by the unnamed source is true, this would clear the air of all speculations regarding the deal. Sputnik cited Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on September 18 that the negotiation with Russia on the S-400 was almost at the final stage, but that it was yet to be seen whether it would be signed before the Russian president’s visit.
There has been no official confirmation as of now, on top of there being speculation that the deal may be postponed following the US impositions of sanctions on the Equipment Development Department (EDD) of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) and on its director in response to China’s purchase of Su-35 aircraft and the S-400 system, under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
The unnamed sources said India will have to pay only 15% of the total amount upon signing the contract, while the other 85% of the payment are linked to deliveries. The Indian Air Force is supposed to get the first S-400 missile system 24 months after the contract is concluded.
“Looks like the final contract is going to be signed. I hope it gets signed. It will add a big punch to the air defense capability of the Indian Air Force and the country,” retired Air Marshal Anil Chopra was cited by Sputnik.
The Indian contract for the purchase of S-400 from Russia is connected with the position of the United States. The US CAATSA law involves the introduction of secondary sanctions against the organizations that enter into “significant transactions” with sanctioned Russian companies.
US officials also said that other countries willing to purchase the S-400 may be subject to sanctions, similar to Turkey and China.
Earlier, Mike Pompeo, the head of the State Department and US Secretary of Defence James Mattis flew to India to discuss the situation.
On September 6th, the US and India signed a critical defense information sharing agreement that allows each country greater access to each other’s communications networks but could not come to an agreement on India’s planned purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defense system. The two sides also agreed to enhanced defense cooperation, to include joint exercises on India’s coast in 2019 and the establishment of a hotline between the US and India.
Mike Pompeo said that no decision had been made regarding the purchase and possible sanctions. However, he did hint at possible waivers.
“We do understand the history of India’s relationship with Russia and legacy systems. Our effort here, too, is not to penalize great strategic partners like India, a major defense partner,” Pompeo said. “The sanctions aren’t intended to adversely impact countries like India. They are intended to … have an impact on the sanctioned country, which is Russia. And so we’ll work our way through the waiver decision as the days and weeks proceed, and we’ll do that alongside our partner India.”
On September 12th, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice Well said that talks with India regarding the procurement of S-400 from Russia are still on-going.
We continue to have conversations with the Indian leadership on ways that we are working to hold Russia accountable for its behavior,” she said.
The sanctions “are designed to impact Russia,” Well said in response to whether India could be targeted under CAATSA. “We are working through the implications of CAATSA and the significance that we attach to CAATSA,” she added.
“I think there’s a great understanding of the legacy of India’s military, defense cooperation relationship with Russia. The focus and the conversations are really on the kinds of a defense acquisition that would shape India’s strategic relations over the next generation and what impact that has on interoperability and the ability to continue to deepen its partnership with [the] U.S. and others,” Well also said.
Sputnik reported that on October 15, 2016, India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with Russia for the procurement of five firing units of the S-400 air defense system.
In all, the Diplomat cited numbers provided by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Moscow has been New Delhi’s largest defense supplier since the 1960s, accounting for 68 percent of India’s arms imports from 2012 to 2016.
I guess he missed the fact India is a full member of SCO now, that its main function is to exactly oppose nato and is activities beside the economic part.
Trump will be very upset as he has just repainted some old Patriots that he intended to sell to India :)
Trump took away those Patriots from Syria because if they fell to Russian hands, they will be laughing their lungs out.
what are you saying??? ruskies, the bestest, the arthestest, the delopestest can something copy from old, shitty, rosted yankee weapons???
Trump wouldn’t care less, there are the neocons who are you talking about, however India will not be sanctioned.
US MIC Patriot and THAAD could not cut the mustard against the Russian S400. US MIC is going to have a shrinking international market as they specialize in producing “expensive junk”.
American iPhone. Their only woes is they can’t use Chinese cheap labor to make even more profit in MIC.
I’d recommend India to buy Chinese Hongdu L15b supersonic trainers (very similar to Russian Yak130 subsonic trainers). It is the best airplane India can really afford instead of damaging expensive multirole fighters by unexperienced and untrained wannabe Indian pilots. Oh, I forgot. India is on brink of war with China because of territorial claimes so they can’t afford Hongdu L15b either LOL.
And what does India want the S-400’s for? When those billions could have went to feeding their desperate 900 million + citizens living in entrenched poverty. If India thinks it can handle a war with China, it is in for a big shock. The Chinese have built super-reinforced highways all the way to the Indo-China boder, and China could move massive amounts of MBT’s and heavy artillery to battle very quickly. On Indias side, there are dirt roads.
The CPEC Chinese -Pakistan Economic Corridor is about complete, costing about 50 billion, that will solidify Pakistan as a bridgehead for the Chinese OBR Silk Roads. So for India, Pakistan is untouchable.
India is still a vassal of the west. And Hindu nationalism, like its brother Zionism, are both racist, and both occupy militarily other peoples lands, in Palestine and Kashmir.
But, Bollywood is in love with Hollywood, and Indian women want to have pale skin. India is also a big haven for international telephone scamming done by sophisticated networks in India, the U.S.,(the FBI always busts them) from call centers all over India. Its a national disgrace. India is full of slums, while China has built mega-metropolises, and infrastructure the envy of the world. India is missing out, and has joined the wrong side in the multi=polar world that is emerging.
and Indian women want to have pale skin
this is in whole asia. for thousands years. it has nothing to do with white race
India already cancelled development of joined project Su57 FGFA ($6 billion project, how much they already payed is unknown) and don’t want to buy even even Su35 (they already have 200 units of Su30, so Su35 would be logical step). After short honeymoon with F35 ($85million per unit and skyrocketing maintanance costs & unreliability) they decided rather stay with French made Dassault Rafale, quite old, obsolete (and inferior) design and spend $8 billion for 38 units of them without any technological transfer and offset programs. Why ? Well, because you know, they are Indians….
They don’t want to buy from honest deal they want fee from the deal.
The reason they join in the project, is so they train their people in the know how of the russians. Considering after the russian discover by testing it themselves that stealth it is another american myth, also drop the production and continue with R&D on the technology.
As for been indians obviously you not aware all the so advertised american software is made in India by INDIANS as you call them, beside the fact almost all american communications, yes your mobiles and not only, are indian owned and run.
Try to have knowledge of what you post. Other wise you sound disconnected of reality and brainwashed by mass media and internet. Just a friendly advice.
I get it; I have to try and do business with them. They save a penny to lose a pound.
the ruskies betrayed them and stole that money. therefore cancelled the participation.
rafales are good.
rafales are hopeless. They are the same junk as Typhoons, 1970 design, on pair with Su27SM. Rafale is good for destroying Lybia but hopeless in modern combat. They are lacking everything. Speed, range, sensors, maneuverability, endurance and are overhyped in the West. OMG. They were designed in SEVENTIES !!!!!!
US anti-Russian sanctions policy, as applied to third party states who buy Russian military exports, is very effective means for US to alienate themselves from those third party states. US policy own goal.
Well, US vassal states like Japan, Canada, Australia and even Britain are not eager to buy F35 lemon and are canceling orders en masse. Meanwhile NATO fighters are aging really quickly as old F16 and F15 designs can’t catch up with Su-35 and their maintanace and upgrade costs are increasing.
This will have consequences for India.
India will be limited in the SWIFT system to only transfer money to US and India´s assets in US be frozen…………LOL. Further India´s farmers will be denied purchase of GMO seeds from Monsanto and without it, India cannot grow any agriculture…………….LOL.
You in India are so focked man.
Well, India is buying a lot of overpriced shit from Boeing etc. That’s why USA are afraid “punish” them too much.
Lol….It sure is a punishment not to get crappy GMO seeds from Monsanto ( Agent Orange ) I bet they rather buy organic seed and corn from Russia. The US sanctions spree against anybody, is a clear show of a sinking empires desperation.
Look that … India thumbing its nose at the US and saying “Come on, gimme some sanctions too!”
India’s choice shouldn’t be taken as a slight or compliment towards anyone, the fact is that India has many internal and external conflicts to deal with that would be very unpopular in the UN. I spoke to one Indian who said frankly that there are several aggressive separatist movements but both sides try their best to keep matters civil because they know no matter who starts the fight the US and allies will be the first to cut the flow of arms and ammunition. They’re looking for a no-strings-attached-deal and are trying to ensure they don’t rely on any one side for weapons.