NEW DELHI, India: India is planning to buy S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems from Russia, raising concerns for Pakistan which is already forced to boost its nuclear arsenal by virtue of being unable to compete India on conventional weapon.
The proposed deal will be discussed when the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Moscow in December for talks with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, said a report published on Zeenews website.
The report says that the Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is also expected to visit Russia in the near future.
It further says that India is likely to purchase 10 to 12 S-400s, capable of countering all air attack weapons including tactical and strategic aircraft, ballistic missiles and hypersonic targets such as the US F-35 fighter jet.
The S-400 Triumf air defence missile system can be equipped with very long-range missiles (up to 400km), long-range (250km) and medium-range (120km). In addition, it can engage up to 36 targets simultaneously with as many as 72 missiles at altitudes of five meters to 30 km.
The Indian military has been ranked as the 5th strongest military in the world, according to a report recently published by Credit Suisse on globalization whereas Pakistan military is ranked as 11th.
Being world’s second most populous country and having a strong economy, India is far ahead of other South Asian countries including Pakistan as far as military strength is concerned.
Knowing its limitation in conventional war with India, Pakistan has long been developing its nuclear program with an aim to maintain a credible minimum deterrence and balance of power.
Unlike the past which witnessed close defence cooperation between Pakistan and the United States, recently Islamabad’s foreign policy tilted towards Russia. The two countries signed a defence deal as well which included the sale of MI-35 helicopters to Pakistan by Russia.
