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Defence & Security
Mahesh

11/08/25 18:49 PM IST

S-400 hailed for Operation Sindoor role

In News 
  • The  Indian Air Force (IAF) took down “at least” five Pakistani fighter jets and “one large aircraft”, and that the S-400 missile system, bought from Russia, had been a “game-changer”.
S400 Missile System 
  • The S-400 Triumf, which NATO calls it the SA-21 Growler, is a mobile, surface-to-air missile system (SAM) designed by Russia.
  • Made operational in 2007, it is seen as the most dangerous operationally deployed modern long-range SAM in the world, better than the US-developed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD).
  • Put simply, its job is to detect any aerial threat in the area it has been tasked with protecting, calculate the threat’s path, and then dispatch a suitable missile to counter the threat.
  • The S-400 has a multifunction radar, autonomous detection and targeting systems, anti-aircraft missile systems, launchers, and a command and control centre.
  • It can be deployed within five minutes — US-made systems often take longer to deploy — and is capable of firing three types of missiles to create a layered defence.
  • It can engage all types of aerial targets including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and ballistic and cruise missiles within a range of 400 km, at an altitude up to 30 km.
  • This makes it more versatile than the American THAAD, which is most effective against ballistic missiles.
  • The S-400 can also simultaneously track 100 airborne targets, including super fighters such as the US-built F-35, and engage six of them at the same time.
India and S400
  • India bought the air defence system in 2018, and delivery began by 2021.
  • In 2017, US President Donald Trump, in his first term, had signed into law the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
  • Targetting Russia, Iran, and North Korea, the Act had provisions to sanction those who did significant business with these three countries in key sectors, inclduing defence and intelligence.
  • India’s deal for the weapons, thus, potentially fell foul of the Act. Even today, Trump is trying to punish India for doing business with Russia through tariffs.
  • Eventually, India was not sanctioned under CAATSA, as Washington was seeking to build on its ties with India to counter China, and also because it wanted to sell more weapons to India.
  • New Delhi has had close defence cooperation with the Soviet Union since the Cold War days, but has continued to buy weapons that suit its needs from across the world, including US-made arms.
Source- Indian Express 

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