Will India buy S-400 missile system from Turkey? Here is why New Delhi might opt for Ankara’s offer

New Delhi: The news of the sale of Turkey’s S-400 missile system has been a hot topic for a long time. Earlier it was feared that Turkey could sell its S-400 missile system to Pakistan. Now it is being said that India(BHARAT) can buy Turkey’s S-400 missile system. However, Turkey has made it clear on several occasions that it will not sell its S-400 missile system to any other country. Russia delivered the S-400 missile system to Turkey in 2019. The deal was worth $2.5 billion, under which Turkey received two regiments of S-400 missile systems. However, Turkey had to pay a heavy price for this purchase in the form of US sanctions.

What the Turkish media said

Turkish media reported that Russia has proposed to buy back the S-400 air defense systems sold to Ankara in 2019. Russia can then export this weapon to a third country. The report also said that Turkey’s allies in NATO will not see this return as an export of weapons to Russia, as Russia will sell this S-400 missile system to another country. It is expected that Russia can hand over this system to India(BHARAT) after doing some upgrades, as the delivery of S-400 between the two countries has been stuck for a long time. However, neither Turkish nor Russian officials have commented on this report yet.

Turkey refuses to sell S-400

Russia has sold the S-400 missile system to only select countries of the world. These include India(BHARAT), China and Turkey. However, Turkey has not yet activated its S-400 missile system due to being a NATO member and America’s refusal. This missile system is still gathering dust in Türkiye’s arsenal. However, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said in 2024 that his country’s owned S-400s are operational and can be deployed within 12 hours if appropriate orders are given. Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said in May 2024 that Turkey would not sell its S-400 missile system to any other country.

India(BHARAT)’s S-400 delivery stuck

India(BHARAT) bought the S-400 missile system from Russia in 2018. India(BHARAT) has purchased a total of five units of S-400 from Russia for $ 5 billion. Of these, only 3 units have been delivered so far. The remaining two deliveries are stuck due to the Ukraine war. In such a situation, it is being speculated that if Turkey returns its S-400 to Russia, it can be upgraded and sold to India(BHARAT). The variant of S-400 that India(BHARAT) has purchased has a range of 4 to 400 kilometres and can track 80 targets simultaneously.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Will India(BHARAT) buy the Russian S-400 missile system from Turkey?
• The news of the sale of Turkey’s S-400 missile system has been a hot topic for a long time.
• Earlier it was feared that Turkey could sell its S-400 missile system to Pakistan.
• Russia delivered the S-400 missile system to Turkey in 2019.

Turkish media reported that Russia has proposed to buy back the S-400 air defense systems sold to Ankara in 2019. Russia can then export this weapon to a third country. The report also said that Turkey’s allies in NATO will not see this return as an export of weapons to Russia, as Russia will sell this S-400 missile system to another country.