Russia Receives India's Advance Payment For S-400 Air Defense Systems - Gov't Agency

Russia has received from India an advance payment for S-400 air defense missile systems, the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation told Sputnik on Thursday

ZHUKOVSKY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th August, 2019) Russia has received from India an advance payment for S-400 air defense missile systems, the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation told Sputnik on Thursday.

"As for India's advance payment for the S-400s, this matter has been settled. Due to objective reasons, we do not comment on technical details," the service said at the MAKS-2019 air show, currently underway in Moscow region's Zhukovsky.

The deputy director of the defense cooperation agency, Vladimir Drozhzhov, said on July 9 that Russia hoped to receive the advance payment by the end of 2019 so that deliveries could begin in 2020 and be completed by 2025.

Moscow and New Delhi concluded in October 2018 a contract on the deliveries of the S-400 missile systems to India worth over $5 billion.

Washington has repeatedly criticized India's defense cooperation with Russia, since it sees the country as its major partner in Southern Asia. The United States made an attempt in 2018 to prevent India from reaching the deal with Russia on purchasing the S-400s.

The MAKS-2019 International Aviation and Space Salon is held from August 27 to September 1 in Zhukovsky. This biennial event is among the world's largest of its kind. Russian and foreign aviation experts, manufacturers and businessmen gather to attend exhibitions, roundtables and conferences featuring the latest achievements and novelties in the aviation sphere.

Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency is an official media partner of the event.