The contract with India for the supply of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems will be completed in 2025, the advance has already been transferred, the Head of Rostec Sergey Chemezov told the reporters during Dubai Airshow.
“The advance payment has taken place. I do not want to clarify which figure is accurate, but there is an advance payment”, – Chemezov said.
“We have already begun production, work is underway, everything will be carried out in accordance with the schedule. 2025 is the completion year of the contract”, – said the head of Rostec.
On November 15, the Indian edition of the Hindustan Times reported, citing sources, that the first set of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) would go to the Indian side in 16-18 months.
“Previously, there was some concern regarding the delivery schedule that the delivery of all five (regimental sets – IF) S-400s would be postponed until 2025. But taking into account the payments already made, the first system is expected to be delivered in 16-18 months”, – the newspaper quotes the source’s words.
Sources also said that the first installment of $ 850 million – 15% of the total cost – was made in September through a special payment mechanism designed to avoid potential US sanctions under the US Law on Countering US Adversaries through Sanctions (CAATSA). However, sources refused to provide details of this topic.
At a press conference last Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the contract for the supply of Russian S-400 air defense systems to India was being implemented according to plan; Delhi was not asked to speed up this process.
At the beginning of October 2018, a contract was signed on the sidelines of the Russian-Indian negotiations at the highest level for the supply of S-400 Triumph air defense systems to India. India will receive five regimental sets of S-400, the amount of the transaction exceeds $ 5 billion.
As Interfax reported, the implementation of the contract should begin after 2020.
The Hindustan Times, in turn, recalls that previously Washington repeatedly exerted pressure on Delhi in order to prevent it from purchasing S-400 and other combat systems from the Russian Federation. However, after negotiations in October with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Indian Foreign Minister Subramaniam Jaishankar said that Delhi only exercises the sovereign right to acquire arms, where it sees fit.
Indian authorities also pointed out that Delhi meets all the criteria for exclusion from CAATSA sanctions and that India cannot just break long-term defense ties with Russia.