Amid US President having imposed sanctions on Russia, the Ministry of Defence today signed a contract for getting a fresh stock of Russian origin surface-to-air missiles for air defence needs of Indian Navy’s warships.Also, the Ministry of Defence reposed faith in the indigenous advanced light helicopter (ALH), and inked a contract to have six more such helicopters for the Coast Guard.The two contracts are worth Rs 5,083 crore, the one for missiles is for Rs 2,182 crore and the one for helicopters is worth Rs 2,901 crore.In November last year President Donald Trump had spoken about a new wave of hard-hitting sanctions aimed at isolating Russia, warning that countries maintaining trade ties with Moscow will be ‘very severely sanctioned.’The Russian missile, named Shtil, is surface-to-air missile system developed by the Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defence Corporation. It can hit aerial targets some 45 km away. The contract for the procurement of missiles and associated missile holding frames, has been signed with JSC Rosoboronexport, Russian Federation. The acquisition is intended to substantially enhance the air defence capabilities of frontline warships against a wide spectrum of aerial threats. The system will provide rapid-reaction, all-weather engagement capability and improved survivability in contested maritime environments.The MoD said, “The contract underscores the longstanding and time-tested defence partnership between India and Russia, founded on mutual trust and strategic alignment”.Meanwhile, contract for the ALH Mk-III version has been inked with public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bengaluru. The contract will include operational equipment, an engineering support package and performance-based logistics support.Crucially, the contract comes just days after the fleet of ALH operated by the Navy and the Coast Guard, respectively, was been cleared for flying. ALH fleets across the Army, IAF, Navy and Coast Guard were grounded following a Coast Guard copter crash on January 5 last year that killed three personnel.  Navy and Coast Guard have a collective fleet of 51 ALH and these had been given a green signal to operate with certain conditions. The Army and IAF fleets were okayed for flying in April last year. A report of the ‘defect investigation team’ set up by HAL had found cracks in the ‘swashplates’ of Navy and Coast Guard ALHs, as they were operating in saline maritime environments, raising concerns about material fatigue.The fleet of ALH’s with the Army is about 200 and with the IAF, around 75.The MoD said that the induction will significantly enhance the Indian Coast Guard’s capability for fulfilling the duties of safety and protection of artificial islands, offshore installations, and protection of fishermen & marine environment.