India, Russia Discuss S-400 Deliveries and Su-30MKI Modernization

India signed a deal in 2018 to purchase five regiments of the S-400 air defense system. Russia delivered three of them in 2021, and now the defense ministers of both countries have discussed the delivery of the remaining two.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov discussed the supply of Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, as well as the modernization of India's Su-30MKI fighter jets, India's Ministry of Defence said.

According to Indian Defence News, Russia reaffirmed its commitment to delivering the remaining two S-400 Triumf squadrons to India by 2026-2027.

"We had productive discussions on strengthening India-Russia defense cooperation,” Rajnath Singh posted on X following his meeting with Belousov.

The S-400 Triumf is a Russian long- and medium-range surface-to-air missile system designed to destroy aerospace threats. It can engage aerodynamic targets at a range of up to 400 km and ballistic targets traveling at speeds of up to 4.8 km/s at distances of up to 60 km.

The meeting between the defense chiefs took place on June 26 in Qingdao on the sidelines of the SCO defense ministers' summit.

India signed the $5.43 billion deal for five S-400 regiments in 2018. Russia began deliveries in 2021, with three systems deployed along India's borders with China and Pakistan. Last year, ANI reported that New Delhi had requested Moscow to expedite delivery of the fourth and fifth systems.

In May 2025, India used the S-400 to defend cities from a Pakistani attack. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later stated that the S-400s played a crucial role in the standoff with the neighboring country.

Earlier, India Today reported that delivery of the two remaining S-400 systems had been postponed to 2026. That same month, Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheev confirmed that Russia was fulfilling its contractual obligations.

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The S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler), previously known as the S-300 PMU-3, is a mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed in the 1990s by Russia's NPO Almaz as an upgrade to the S-300 family of missiles. The S-400 was approved for service on 28 April 2007 and the first battalion of the systems assumed combat duty on 6 August 2007. The system is complemented by its successor, the S-500.