Russia has delivered first regiment of S-400 missile to China.

Russia has delivered the first regimental set of S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) air defense missile systems to China as the third vessel with missing equipment arrived in the country, a military and diplomatic source said.

Russian army 5P85SM2-01 TEL Transporter Erector Launcher for S-400 surface-to-air defense missile system. (Picture source Vitaly Kuzmin)

China will start to accept the air defense missile systems in late May, the source added.

"The final batch of equipment making part of the first regimental set of S-400 air defense missile systems has been delivered by a carrying ship from the port of Ust-Luga in the Leningrad Region [in northwest Russia] to China," the source said.

Earlier, the regimental set of S-400 systems was dispatched to China onboard three ships.

In January, Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation said that one vessel had been caught in a strong storm in the English Channel and had returned to the port of departure to examine the support equipment and assess the damage.

It was reported in early April that the first two ships with the majority of the equipment had arrived in China.

Now, China has fully received the regimental set of S-400 systems, including a command and control post, radars, launchers, surface-to-air missiles, power supply and some other equipment, the source said.

Russian experts will start to hand over the military hardware to China in late May. The procedure will last about two months, the source added.

It was announced in November 2014 that Russia and China had signed a contract for the delivery of S-400 systems. In November 2015, Russian presidential aide for military and technical cooperation Vladimir Kozhin confirmed that the contract had been inked.China is the first foreign buyer of S-400 air defense missile systems. China is expected to receive two regimental sets of S-400 systems.

The S-400 Triumf is a Russian-made long- and medium-range air defense missile system. The system is designed to eliminate all advanced and perspective air-launched weapons.

The system can hit aerodynamic targets at a range of up to 400 kilometers (249 miles) and tactical ballistic targets flying at a speed of 4.8 km/s (3 mi/s) at a distance of up to 60 kilometers (37 miles). Such targets include cruise missiles, tactical and strategic aircraft and ballistic missile warheads.

The system’s radars detect aerial targets at a distance of up to 600 kilometers (373 miles). The system’s 48N6E3 surface-to-air missiles can hit aerodynamic targets at altitudes of 10,000-27,000 meters and ballistic threats at altitudes of 2,000-25,000 meters.