Like Washington and Moscow: India to Set Up Missile Shield Around Delhi

Taking a cue from superpowers Russia and the United States, other countries are mulling similar advanced air defense systems to protect their big cities.

India is working on a missile shield around its capital Delhi to make it immune to military or 9/11 attacks from aircraft, missiles and drones, The Times of India wrote.

The Defense Ministry has approved the purchase of the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System-II (NASAMS-II) worth around $1 billion from the US.

Armed with the three-dimensional Sentinel radars, short- and medium-range missiles, launchers, fire distribution centers and command-and-control units to quickly detect, track and shoot down multiple airborne targets, the NASAMS is part of the air defense network guarding Washington D.C.

The system has also been deployed in several NATO countries in Europe. Moscow and some cities in Israel have a similar air defense system currently in place.

The decision to acquire NASAMS comes simultaneously with ongoing efforts to create a two-tier ballistic missile defense shield designed to track and destroy incoming ballistic missiles both inside and outside the Earth’s atmosphere.

READ MORE: Analyst Outlines Three Reasons Why US Doesn't Want India to Buy Russia's S-400

India is also seeking a US waiver from the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) that deters countries from buying Russian weapons or Iranian oil to be able to buy five top-tier S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems from Russia later this year without facing the risk of financial sanctions from Washington, the newspaper wrote.