NEW DELHI (WION) – A top official of the Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said that India will receive the first batch of the sophisticated S-400 anti-aircraft surface-to-air missile system from Russia in October-December this year.

Indian specialists have arrived in Russia and began training with the S-400 in January 2021, the agency said.

In October 2018, India had signed a $5 bln deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding warning from the then Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may trigger U.S. sanctions under CAATSA. In 2019, India made the first tranche of payment of around $800 mln to Russia for the missile systems.

Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act or CAATSA is a tough U.S. law which authorises the administration to impose sanctions on countries that purchase major defence hardware from Russia in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.