Despite American President Joe Biden casting aspersions over the friendly relations between India and Russia, both countries are working towards strengthening their relations. Now, it is also being reported that India could become the first foreign buyer of the Russian-made S-500 and S-550 AM air defense systems.
India to buy Russia’s S-500 and S-550 anti-missile systems
Reportedly, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India next month. Along with the delivery of the first lot of S-400 surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems during the visit, the negotiations between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Putin for the potential sale of the super-advanced S-500 and S-550 missile systems are also assumed to take place.
If everything goes accordingly, India could buy Russia’s S-500 and S-550 anti-missile systems.
Earlier, this month, Russia, through its Defense Minister General Sergei Shoigu, had announced that the country is also developing the S-550 air-defense missile system.
The S-500 Prometey and the S-550 SAM
According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, the S-500 Prometey which was first tested successfully in July this year was received by the Russian Armed Forces in September.
The S-500’s operational range is approximately 370 miles (600 kilometers) which makes it convenient to detect and simultaneously counter up to 10 ballistic supersonic terminals ICBM warheads flying at speeds up to 4.34 miles (7 kilometers) per second. As per the Russian analysts, S-500 could even target satellites in low-earth orbit and fifth-generation stealth aircraft, along with its primary targets of cruise and ballistic missiles.
In addition to that, S-550 SAM is considered to be the extension of S-500 Prometheus. It will be the world’s first mobile specialized missile defense (anti-ballistic missile—ABM) and anti-space defense system that has the capability to destroy ICBMs.
The Russian news agency RIA Novosti reports say that “The new [S-550] mobile system is being developed as a version of the S-500 air-defense system and will specialize in anti-missile and anti-space defense tasks. Its capabilities to intercept warheads of ballistic missiles of various ranges, primarily intercontinental ones, as well as space attack weapons will be an order of magnitude higher than that of the S-400 and S-500, as well as American missile defense systems—THAAD and Aegis with SM-3Block ll B missiles”.
Another heartburn to Biden
As earlier reported by TFI, two influential American senators had warned Joe Biden against sanctioning India under Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) after there were talks that under a Democratic administration led by Joe Biden, India could finally be sanctioned under the CAATSA.
However, in direct defiance of America and Joe Biden, Russia had started supplying the game-changing S-400 defense system to India.
S-400 is one of the most advanced air defence systems in the world. It can track numerous incoming objects- all kinds of aircraft, missiles and UAVs — in a radius of a few hundred kilometres and launch appropriate missiles to neutralize them.
Read more: In direct defiance of Joe Biden, India starts receiving S-400s from Russia
And now, with India planning to buy Russia’s S-500 and S-550 anti-missile systems, it will surely give another heartburn to Biden