India-Russia Defence trade worth $15bn in 3 years’

India-Russia Defence trade worth $15bn in 3 years’

Part of: GS Prelims and GS – II – International Relations 

In news In the last three years, since 2018, the defence trade between India and Russia was $15 billion because of some major defence deals. 

• The S-400 air defence systems deal, for which deliveries are scheduled to begin by November 2021, was on schedule. 
• One team of Indian Air Force (IAF) officials has been trained in Russia to operate the system while another team is undergoing training. 

What is S-400? 

• The S-400 is Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system.
  • In 2018, India had signed a $5 billion deal with Russia to buy the S-400 air defence missile systems.
• The system is also known as the ‘Triumf’ interceptor-based missile system.
• It can simultaneously track numerous incoming objects — all kinds of aircraft, missiles and UAVs — in a radius of 400km and launch appropriate missiles to neutralise them.
• The U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia under its stringent Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for manufacturing S-400.
  • The law also provides for punitive action against countries purchasing defence hardware from Russia.

News Source: TH