Moscow is also looking to sell Su-57 fighter aircraft to the South Asian nation, Dmitry Shugayev has said
Moscow and New Delhi are negotiating the supply of more S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India, TASS reported on Monday, citing a senior Russian defense official.
India has already received three of the five S-400 air defense systems it purchased from Russia for $5.43 billion in 2018. The remaining two are slated for delivery in 2026.
“As is known, India has our S-400 system,” Dmitry Shugayev, head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said, according to the report. “There is an opportunity to expand cooperation in this sector as well. It means new supplies. So far, we are negotiating this.”
The S-400s played an important role in defending India’s air bases and other military installations against Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes during the 4-day confrontation between the two neighboring South Asian countries in May.
“Platforms like the S-400 have given unprecedented strength to the country,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an address to his country’s soldiers in May, a few days after the military conflict concluded.
On Monday, Shugayev added that another area of bilateral defense cooperation is the supply of Sukhoi Su-57 jets. India currently requires at least two squadrons of fifth-generation fighter aircraft, with the Russian-made planes being a candidate along with F-35s.
Moscow is studying investment plans to manufacture the Su-57 jets in India, ANI News reported on Monday. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which makes Su-30 MKI planes there, could be a hub for production if the plan materializes, the media outlet added, citing local defense sources.
India’s military currently relies heavily on equipment which is either made or designed in Russia; around 60% of its arsenal was produced there.
With New Delhi moving towards the local production of arms and ammunition, Russian manufacturers are looking to expand joint production efforts in the South Asian country.
