India Opens Talks For More Russian S-400 Air Defences After Intensive Combat Testing Against Pakistan

The Indian Defence Ministry has been confirmed to have initiated talks regarding the procurement of additional units of Russian S-400 long range air defence systems, following the first use of the systems for high intensity combat operations against the Pakistan Air Force on May 7-10. The Defence Ministry in October 2018 signed $5.43 billion contract for ten battalions’ worth of S-400s, and has concentrated the majority of its systems near its border with Pakistan. The Air Force’s high degree of satisfaction with the system’s combat performance is thought to have been a primary factor leading it to seek to make additional procurements. Commenting on the system’s performance, Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh in early August observed: “The S-400 system which we had recently bought has been a game changer… The kill range of that system kept their aircraft away from the maximum distance at which they could employ their long-range air-to-ground weapons, like those long-range glide bombs that they have.”

Indian Defence Ministry sources have claimed that S-400s were responsible for neutralising at least five fighters and one large aircraft, possibly an ELINT aircraft or an AEW&C system. The kill against a large aircraft was achieved at 300 kilometre range, highlighting the S-400’s ability to strike targets deep inside Pakistani airspace using their 40N6 missiles. The S-400’s performance was previously commented on by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on May 13 indicated that the system stressed “platforms like the S-400 have given unprecedented strength to the country.”

The S-400 is one of two major aerial warfare systems that has recently been procured by the Indian Armed Forces, with the second, the French Rafale fighter, considered to have seriously underperformed in engagements with Pakistan. The fighter’s major performance limitations including a small and relatively weak radar and very conservative flight performance, combined with its tremendous cost of over $240 million per aircraft, have made further procurements for the Air Force appear unlikely. The shortcomings of the Rafale, and India’s lack of near term options to procure advanced fifth generation fighter aircraft, has made the S-400 appear all the more important for the country’s defence.