19FortyFive: India can not be afraid of the USA and buy the S-500 Prometheus system from Russia
India may not be afraid of possible sanctions from the United States and indeed become the first buyer of the Russian S-500 Prometheus air defense system, according to the American publication 19FortyFive.
The publication claims that Delhi has long-standing ties with Moscow, from which, in particular, despite pressure from Washington, it acquires various weapons, for example, the S-400 Triumph air defense system.
The publication admits that the acquisition of the S-500 Prometheus from the Russian side "may lead Washington too far, which will confound the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi." "On the other hand, India does not intend to become a client state of the United States. It values its long-standing ties with Russia, including Moscow's willingness to sell modern weapons without preconditions, which often make it difficult to sell weapons to the United States," the publication says.
19FortyFive recalls that since the 1960s, India has been the main market for Russian weapons, including Su-30 fighters, T-90 tanks and submarines.
The publication notes that the S-500 Prometheus is capable of detecting and destroying not only inconspicuous aircraft, but also ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles, as well as drones, including in space. "For India, which is in a state of cold war with China and its expanding arsenal of ballistic missiles and stealth fighters, access to modern air defense systems would be useful," writes 19FortyFive.
In June, The National Interest magazine wrote that the promising American B-21 Raider strategic bomber would be invulnerable to the C-500 Prometheus.