India and Russia signed agreement on S-400 missiles in 2018, in defiance of the US’s threat to impose sanctions under 2017’s Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
India has requested additional S-400 missiles from Russia following the success of the air defence missile system in the recent military tension with Pakistan, said sources, adding that Moscow has responded in the “affirmative”.
Bought in defiance of US pressure, the S-400 missiles successfully neutralised swarm of drones unleashed by Pakistan to compensate for the humiliation inflicted by Operation Sindoor. The success validated Modi government’s decision to purchase S-400 Triumf air defence systems from Russia at a cost of Rs 35,000 crore. The deal was signed in New Delhi in the presence of PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018.
The agreement was signed in defiance of the US’s threat to impose sanctions under 2017’s Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
India refused to budge under US pressure, with Modi govt asserting strategic autonomy and its right to determine national security priorities.
Russia delivered the S-400 system in December 2021. Three squadrons of S-400 are fully operational along the borders with Pakistan and China.
The air defence system constitute a crucial component of India’s aerial shield that also comprises the Integrated Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) grid, Barak-8 missiles, Akash surface-to-air missiles and DRDO’s anti-drone devices.
Barak-8 missiles, S-400 Triumph air defence systems, Akash surface-to-air missiles and indigenously developed anti-drone equipment were tested in the recent military tension with Pakistan. All of them passed the test successfully, thwarting Pakistan’s attempts to hit 15 Indian cities on Wednesday night.
Pakistani military attempted to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj using missiles and drones. Every single one of those missiles was neutralised and none reached its intended target, the sources said.
“The Integrated Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Grid, S-400 Triumph systems, Barak-8 missiles, Akash Surface-to-Air Missiles, and DRDO’s anti-drone technologies came together seamlessly to create an aerial shield that held firm,” said a source, according to news agency PTI.
These platforms, combined with the strategic deployment of Rafale fighter jets equipped with SCALP and HAMMER missiles, demonstrated India’s capability to project power with surgical precision.
“India didn’t stop at defending. It retaliated with speed and precision. Operation Sindoor saw the Indian Armed Forces strike deep into Pakistani territory, destroying an HQ-9 air defence unit in Lahore and damaging key radar infrastructure,” the source said.
The Pakistani military targeted the Indian cities in response to India’s Operation Sindoor under which nine terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir were hit. Over 100 terrorists, including the mastermind of IC-814 plane hijacking, were killed in the operation.