Russia to start exports of its S-400 anti-air system to China soon.

Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov said the shipments of the S-400 anti-aircraft systems to China will start in the near future.

S-400 Triumph (SA-21 Growler by NATO classification)

"In the near future," he answered a TASS question. The Rostec chief added "everything is ongoing according to the contract." China is the first foreign buyer of S-400 and the contract was announced in the spring of 2015. The deal is estimated at close to three billion dollars. Chemezov also mentioned plans to sell S-400 to Saudi Arabia. "Talks are underway but there is definitely no contract yet," he said. When asked if the contract could be worth $2 bln, the Rostec CEO noted that the parties were just beginning the negotiating process. "What supplies are you talking about?" he added. There are no plans so far to localize S-400 production in Turkey. "We are not talking about it yet," Chemezov said. He specified that the issue now is about sales only, without local content.

He admitted that Turkey raises the issue of localization. "Of course, they raise it, but try to produce even a car in green field. This is unreal; experience is necessary. Some wheels may be produced this way, but not high-end products," Chemezov said, adding that, in his opinion, the Turkish side is perfectly aware of it.

"We can hand over papers and what’s next? This leads nowhere," he said, stressing that any license would be expensive as well. S-400 Triumph (SA-21 Growler by NATO classification) is a Russian antiaircraft intermediate and long-range missile system to destroy modern and perspective aerospace attack means. It can destroy aerodynamic targets at a distance up to 400 km and tactical ballistic targets with a speed of 4.8 km/s (cruise missiles, tactical and strategic aircraft, ballistic missile warheads) at a distance of up to 60 km. Its radars detect air targets at a distance of 600 km. Guided antiaircraft missiles 48N6E3 can hit aerodynamic targets at altitudes from 10 to 27 thousand meters and ballistic targets - from 2 to 25 thousand meters.

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