As India and Russia strengthen their diplomatic relations, India has urged Russia to accelerate the delivery of the S-400 air defence missile system. Despite initial delays by Russia due to ongoing conflict with Ukraine, Moscow has assured New Delhi that the fourth and fifth squadrons of the advanced system will be delivered by March 2026 and October 2026, respectively.
As the world’s largest importer of arms, India relies heavily on Russian technology for its conventional weaponry. However, concerns have been raised in New Delhi about the potential impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine on the timely delivery of weapons and equipment.
India and Russia signed a contract with Russia in 2019 for buying five squadrons of the highly capable air defence system with ability to hit targets at up to 400 plus kilometres.“India has requested the Russian side during the recent talks to expedite the deliveries for meeting Indian Air Force requirements and try to advance the deliveries,” defence officials told ANI.
The Russian side has assured to look into the request, they said. Russia has already supplied three of these air defence systems which have already been operationalised and deployed along both the China and Pakistan front.
The two remaining squadrons were expected to be delivered by 2024 but the supplies got delayed due to their own issues and war there. India has deployed these missiles in areas from where it can tackle any aerial intrusion by enemy fighter aircraft, cruise missiles and even ballistic missiles.
The Indian Air Force, which recently received the indigenous MR-SAM and Akash missile systems as well as the Israeli Spyder quick reactions surface-to-air missile systems, believes the S-400 will be the game changer for it. The Indian Air Force has significantly improved its air defence capabilities in recent years.
The Indian Air Force has now started working on its own Project ‘Kusha’, which would allow it to have an indigenous system developed by DRDO to take down enemy platforms at long ranges.
Air defence systems have been deployed in a big way by the Chinese military across the Line of Actual Control while India has also deployed its own systems to counter any enemy misadventure there.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Moscow earlier this week and held meetings with President Vladimir Putin after which both countries are now seen as very close and have also decided to enhance their military joint ventures in production and maintenance of various weapon systems.
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India urges Russia to expedite S-400 missile system deliveries amid growing defence ties
