After S-400, Is India Ready For The S-500 Air Defence? One Big Hurdle Remains

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Last Updated:May 27, 2025, 16:29 IST

India whitethorn question Russia's S-500 Prometheus aft the S-400 Triumf aerial defence strategy played a important relation successful neutralising threats from Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

The S-400 is simply a long-range surface-to-air rocket strategy developed by Russia's Almaz Central Design Bureau. (Photo: Reuters)

Operation Sindoor marked 1 of the astir aggravated aerial confrontations betwixt India and Pakistan successful caller representation with precision airstrikes by the Indian Air Force (IAF) targetting aggregate violent camps successful Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). In retaliation, Pakistan launched respective missiles and drones crossed borderline areas successful Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Punjab. But what could person been a devastating stroke was mostly neutralised successful the skies, acknowledgment to India’s precocious aerial defence system, the S-400 Triumf.

Deployed successful layers crossed susceptible sectors, the S-400 shield intercepted a barrage of force drones and missiles, forcing Pakistani jets to wantonness oregon change their formation paths. Military analysts accidental the strategy played a captious relation successful limiting civilian casualties and infrastructure harm during the retaliation signifier of the operation.

India’s deployment of the S-400, a long-range surface-to-air rocket strategy developed by Russia’s Almaz Central Design Bureau, has transformed the dynamics of subcontinental aerial defence. Capable of detecting threats up to 600 kilometres distant and engaging aggregate aerial targets simultaneously, including stealth aircraft, cruise missiles, and adjacent ballistic threats, the S-400 tin destruct targets up to 400 kilometres distant with pinpoint accuracy. Its accelerated mobility ensures flexibility, allowing forces to reposition the strategy to lucifer evolving tactical requirements.

India had inked a Rs 35,000 crore (approximately $5.4 billion) woody with Russia successful 2018 for 5 squadrons of the S-400. The archetypal squadron was deployed successful Punjab successful 2021, strategically positioned to antagonistic threats from some Pakistan and China. Three squadrons are present operational; the remaining 2 are scheduled for transportation by 2026. Within the Indian Army, the strategy is referred to arsenic “Sudarshan Chakra“, a symbolic motion to its devastating scope and precision.

What Comes After the S-400?

While the S-400 has proven itself successful progressive defence, India whitethorn soon look to get an adjacent much precocious shield: the S-500 Prometheus, besides known by its subject designation 55R6M Triumfator-M. Inducted into the Russian Armed Forces successful 2021, the S-500 represents a generational leap successful aerial defence technology.

Designed not conscionable to neutralise modern aerial threats but to predominate the near-space domain, the S-500 tin intercept hypersonic glide vehicles, high-speed drones, and adjacent satellites successful debased Earth orbit. This includes objects travelling astatine speeds and altitudes good beyond the interception capabilities of the S-400.

With a detection scope of up to 2,000 kilometres for ballistic targets and the quality to intercept them astatine distances up to 600 kilometres, the S-500 offers unmatched sum and lethality. It includes the deadly 77N6 bid of interceptors, susceptible of “hit-to-kill" engagements, and tin simultaneously way and prosecute up to 10 targets, much than capable to antagonistic a multi-vector aerial assault.

With this deal, India could go the archetypal overseas lawsuit of the S-500, should it formally explicit involvement successful acquiring the system. However, the way to procurement whitethorn not beryllium straightforward.

The United States’ CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), enacted successful 2018, empowers the US to authorisation nations that behaviour important defence transactions with Russia. Though a 2022 legislative amendment pushed by Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna provided a impermanent waiver for India’s S-400 purchase, a akin exemption for the S-500 is not guaranteed.

With the increasing menace from hypersonic missiles and evolving abstraction warfare capabilities, India’s involvement successful the S-500 is much than a symbolic upgrade – it is simply a strategical imperative. But the geopolitical calculations astir specified a woody volition beryllium arsenic analyzable arsenic the exertion itself.

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