India clears purchase of Russian arms

NEW DELHI: India’s Defence Acquisition Council has cleared the purchase of five S-400 air defence systems from Russia, two defence ministry sources said onThursday.

One of the sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the deal is expected to cost around 300 billion rupees ($4.52 billion) but that the final price tag would be negotiated during the procurement process.

India’s air defences are old and outdated and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who heads to Moscow later this month to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, is keen to modernise the country’s defences against airborne attacks.