No Deadlines Nor Draft Contract For Indian S-400 Anti-Aircraft Missile System Yet: Russia

There are no deadlines nor a draft contract for the delivery of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile system to India, Kremlin aide for military and technical cooperation Vladimir Kozhin said Thursday.

"So far, there are neither deadlines nor a draft contract," Kozhin was quoted as saying by Tass in reply to the corresponding question.

The Defence Acquisition Council of India (DAC) approved the purchase of five S-400 (Long Range Surface to Air Missile) LRSAM system (Triumf Missile System) along with associated equipment and missiles from Russia, Indian Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar said in a written reply in Parliament May 10 2016.

According to Parrikar, "The five firing units of the S-400 Long Range Surface to Air Missile system are planned for induction in Indian Air Force in the 13th plan period (2017-2022)."

Deputy Director of Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Vladimir Drozhzhov told the media in late March this year that Russia had prepared a draft agreement on the delivery of S-400 systems and transferred it to Indian partners for signing.

India had claimed that it had signed an agreement in April. Rostec, Russian State corporation had denied reports of that the contract was signed for the delivery of five S-400 missile systems to India the next day.

“A contract for delivering the Triumph S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to India is not yet concluded,” Sergey Chemezov, director-general of the Rostec State Corporation told journalists had said April 28 2016.