How many S-400 'fire dragons' does India want to own?

India is reportedly in talks with Russia to buy five S-400 air defense systems, worth about $5.8 billion.

Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense

India Times quoted a source from Indian defense officials as saying that in phase 1 of the contract, India will order 2 S-400 systems.

Previously, in October 2016, Russia and India signed an agreement regarding the S-400 system, following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the BRICS Summit.

The S-400 missile system, developed by the Design Bureau of Almaz-Antey Corporation, Russia, is an improved version with more powerful features than the S-300 series of surface-to-air missile systems.

The system was commissioned in April 2007 and first deployed in the field four months later.

The system can destroy all objects appearing in the air, including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or ballistic missiles, at an altitude of 50 km and a maximum target speed of up to 4,800 m/s.

The S-400 is capable of tracking 300 targets and simultaneously shooting down 36 of them. In particular, the S-400 is capable of shooting down strategic missiles with a range of up to 3,500 km, nearly 4 times that of the US Patriot system.

This missile complex integrates anti-jamming multi-function radar, automatic detection and aiming system, air defense missiles, launchers and command and control center.

The S-400 can fire five types of missiles to create a layered defense mechanism.

According to TPO