India to Expand S-400 Air Defence Network with New Purchases From Russia in December

The Indian Defence Ministry is planning to place further orders to procure S-400 long range air defence systems, according to reports from local media outlets, with contracts planned for signing in early December coinciding with a visitto the country by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The reports follow confirmation in early September that the Defence Ministry had initiated talks for the procurement of additional S-400 battalions, after the first combat testing of the systems in early May during engagements with Pakistani forces. According to local defence officials, plans are also underway to involve the Indian private sector in setting up facilities for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the missile systems. The Indian Air Force is already by far the largest foreign operator of the S-400, after having signed a $5.43 billion contract in October 2018 for sufficient systems to equip ten battalions.

Plans to procure the S-400 follow widespread expressions of high satisfaction with its performance during combat engagements, which represent the system’s first ever known combat tests outside the Ukrainain theatre. On May 13 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi singled out the system’s performance, stressing that “platforms like the S-400 have given unprecedented strength to the country.” 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.” Defence Ministry sources have claimed that S-400s were responsible for neutralising at least five Pakistani fighters and one large aircraft, possibly an ELINT or an AEW&C system. The downing of the large aircraft was achieved at 300 kilometre range, highlighting the particularly far reach of the S-400’s unique 40N6 missiles.

Indian interest in further S-400 procurements has occurred at a time of worsening relations with the United States, and after American officials repeatedly highlighted not only India’s civilian trade with Russia, but also its major imports of Russian military equipment, as policies that Washington particularly sought to see changed. India was notably threatened with American economic sanctions from 2018 should it proceed with S-400 procurements, although the Indian government appeared to largely ignore these efforts at coercion which led Washington to instead issue a sanctions waiver.

The S-400 has taken on a renewed importance both after India’s French-supplied Rafale fighters were considered to have seriously underperformed during engagements in May, and as neighbouring China not only rapidly expands and modernises its fifth generation fighter fleet, but also moves to begin introducing sixth generation fighters into service in the early 2030s. Responding to emerging security challenges, the Indian Defence Ministry is also seriously considering procurements and license production of Russian Su-57 fifth generation fighters, the capabilities of which could be highly complementary to those of the S-400 for air defence roles.