Russian Ministry of Defense has signed contract with Almaz-Antey concern on deliveries of S-300V4 air defense systems, Lenta.ru reports.

The contract is intended for three years. The exact number of S-300V4s, acquired by the Ministry of Defense, is unknown. The first three S-300V4 divisions will be deployed at the Southern military district.

The final contract assumes the advanced payment (80% of the contract’s value) to Almaz-Antey and its contractors. The exact value has not been unveiled. According to a source from the Ministry of Defense, the advanced payment will help support enterprises, which are taking part in the production of S-300. The contract has been signed in the network of the State program in the area of arms for 2011-2020, which assumes the significant renewal of military hardware.

The S-300V4 systems called “Vityaz” are intended for ground forces. They should replace the ageing S-300P and S-300PS systems. It has been reported earlier that 30 Vityaz systems will be delivered to the Russian armed forces by 2020 and they will be operated together with S-400, S-500 and Morphey air defense systems since 2015. According to the Ministry of Defense, S-300V4 is the modernization of S-300V and S-300VМ.