NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov are expected to meet on December 4 during the two-day annual India–Russia summit. A key agenda item is future defence acquisitions from Russia, potentially including the next-generation S-500 air defence system.
During the meeting, the two ministers will review ongoing defence cooperation, with India already expressing interest in procuring additional S-400 squadrons, along with the pending delivery of the remaining two units. The S-500 system—Russia’s latest long-range interceptor—is capable of neutralising missiles at distances of up to 600 km.
The defence ministry has recently approved the purchase of a substantial number of missiles for the S-400 system, covering ranges from 120 km to 380 km. India has also raised concerns with Moscow over delays in deliveries from the original 2018 S-400 contract.
Although Russia has been promoting the S-500 to India for some time, New Delhi had not previously shown strong interest. Moscow has now assured that the last two of the five contracted S-400 squadrons will be delivered by November 2026.
