Table of Contents
WHAT IS S-400 TRIUMF?
- The S-400 Triumf — NATO calls it SA-21 Growler — is a modern long-range surface-to-air missile (MLR SAM) system developed by Russia. (Company name – Almaz-Antey)
- First used in 2007, the S-400 is an upgrade of the S-300 series of missile systems put in place for the defence of Moscow.
SOLID PROTECTION
- The S-400 Trimuf can engage all types of aerial targets such as aircraft, ballistic and cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), which are within the range of 400km, at an altitude of up to 30km. (ICBM exception)
- It can track 100 airborne targets, including super fighters such as the American built F-35, and engage six of them simultaneously.
USES SO FAR
- The S-400 defence system has been deployed in Syria in 2015 to guard Russian and Syrian naval and air assets.
- Russia has also stationed S-400 units in Crimea to strengthen its position in the annexed peninsula.
INDIA NEEDS IT BADLY
- It will cost India $5 billion (over Rs 40,000 crore)
- India needs to be well-equipped against neighboring threats. Pakistan has over 20 fighter squadrons, with upgraded F-16s, and inducting J-17 from China in large numbers. China has 1,700 fighters, including 800 4-Gen fighters.
WARNING FOR INDIA
- “No country is facing the kind of grave threat that India is confronted with. Intentions of our adversaries can change overnight. We need to match force level of our adversaries,” – Air Force chief B.S. Dhanoa
DIFFICULT OPTIONS FOR INDIA CHINA ACQUIRED IT BEFORE US
Beijing signed a deal with Moscow in 2015 to buy six battalions of the S-400 system, and deliveries began in January 2018. China was the first foreign buyer to seal a government-togovernment deal with Russia in 2014 to procure the lethal missile system and Moscow has already started delivery of an undisclosed number of the S-400 missile systems to Beijing. Last year Moscow signed a contract to sell the systems to Turkey, raising criticism from Ankara’s NATO allies, notably Washington, which has threatened to block delivery of its F-35 stealth aircraft to Turkey.
WHAT IS STOPPING INDIA FROM MAKING THE DEAL
The threat that the United States of America might exercise sanctions on India for trading with Russia. The US administration is required under a domestic law, Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act or CAATSA to impose sanctions on any country that has “significant transactions” with Iran, North Korea or Russia
DANGER SIGNS
- “We urge all of our allies and partners to forgo transactions with Russia that would trigger sanctions under CAATSA. The Administration has indicated that a focus area for the implementation of CAATSA Section 231 is new or qualitative upgrades in capability – including the S-400 air and missile defense system,” the official said.
- The waiver provisions may not apply to India in this deal, the spokesperson indicated. “There are strict criteria for considering a waiver. The waiver is narrow, intended to wean countries off Russian equipment and allow for things such as spare parts for previously-purchased equipment,” said the official.
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