During the past week, various reports indicated that India is negotiating with Russia for the acquisition of new additional S-400 air defense systems, which would be delivered to its Armed Forces to strengthen their defense capabilities against potential threats from neighboring Pakistan. The news has already been confirmed by senior officials from Russia’s Ministry of Defense, including Dmitry Shugayev, the current head of Moscow’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation.
Quoting some of his own statements: “India already has our S-400 system. There is also potential to expand cooperation in this field. This implies new supplies. We are currently in the negotiation phase.” It should be recalled that New Delhi had already negotiated and agreed in 2018 to purchase five S-400 air defense systems for about $5.5 billion, which were delivered to Indian troops at the time to counter what they perceived as a latent Chinese threat. That agreement, however, faced various delays, with the final deliveries of the systems expected only in 2026 and 2027.
If the referenced deal is ultimately concluded, it would represent another demonstration of defense cooperation between Russia and India, with the former maintaining its role as the latter’s main arms supplier. In concrete numbers, analysts estimate that around 36% of New Delhi’s acquired material comes from agreements with Moscow, followed closely by 33% from contracts with France and 13% from Israel.
This last point is not insignificant, considering that for Russia, it demonstrates that India does not yield to U.S. pressure to halt the acquisition of Russian products due to the sanctions imposed since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. For Kremlin Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, these are signals that Russia “appreciates,” while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized in recent speeches that both countries have always been “side by side” in difficult times.
Beyond the political aspect and the delays that have affected its delivery, it is useful to recall that the S-400 is configured as a highly capable air defense system in technical terms. According to previous reports, it has a detection range of about 600 kilometers, while its engagement range is estimated between 2 and 400 kilometers. It has also been highlighted that each unit can track up to 80 targets simultaneously, thanks to its advanced jamming-resistant radar. In terms of armament, the S-400 can carry up to 32 missiles of the 48N6 series.
Moreover, the system already has a favorable operational precedent in the eyes of Indian authorities, especially after the so-called Operation Sindoor carried out against Pakistan. In the words of Air Marshal A.P. Singh: “The S-400 system we have just acquired really changes the situation. The range of the system has prevented Pakistani aircraft from using their long-range weapons, as they were unable to penetrate the S-400 shield (…) We have confirmed the destruction of at least five fighters, as well as a large aircraft, either ELINT or AEW&C, at a distance of 300 km. This is the longest ground-to-air destruction ever recorded.”
*Images used for illustrative purposes.
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