The sales of S-400 Triumph air defense systems to China will not be started until 2017, Lenta.ru reports.
According to a source close to the military-industrial sector, it is planned to develop an export version of the system this year and China will be its launch customer. The export deliveries of S-400 systems will be started only after satisfying the most part of Russian army’s requirements.

China has been acquiring Russian air defense systems over the last several years and it takes interest in the new ones. Russia signed a contract with China in 2007 on delivery of 15 divisions of S-300PMU2 air defense systems and four 83M6E2 control systems. The deliveries have been completed in April 2010; the systems have joined the air defense of Beijing, Shanghai and some other major cities of China.
It was reported earlier that Belorussia and Kazakhstan will be the first countries to acquire S-400 systems. A source close to the military-industrial sector told ITAR-TASS that the deliveries will become possible only after the launch of serial production of S-400 and S-500 systems by Almaz-Antey for the needs of Aerospace Defense Forces.

The vice-prime-minister of Russia, Dmitry Rogozin, said in January that three new plants for manufacturing the air defense and antimissile defense systems will be constructed in Russia. They will be under the authority of Almaz-Antey concern. These enterprises should speed up the production of the air defense systems for Russian army, which should acquire 56 divisions of S-400 systems by 2020.