New Delhi, March 2
At a time when the Chinese air defence systems have failed globally, India is fast moving towards buying five more squadrons of the S-400 Sudarshan air defence missile systems from Russia, which proved their mettle successfully last year during Operation Sindoor to bring down multiple Pakistani aircraft.
The Indian side is buying the additional five squadrons of the AI defence systems after achieving major success against Pakistan last year, where they also secured the longest ever air kill when a high-value Pakistani spy plane was hit by the S-400 missile.
The Defence Ministry will soon take up the case to clear the Indian Air Force proposal to buy the additional five squadrons of the Russian air defence missile systems, which will be deployed on both the eastern and western fronts, defence officials told ANI.
In Operation Sindoor, Pakistan had deployed additional squadrons of the Chinese-origin HQ-9 air defence systems, which could not do much against the Indian aircraft when they brought down multiple terror targets inside Pakistan. The HQ-9 air defence system also failed to protect the Venezuelan leadership during American action there last month, while they also failed during the Operation Epic Fury against Iran by the American and Israeli Air Force. The Indian air defence systems not only brought down multiple Pakistani aircraft but also destroyed the cruise and ballistic missile staunched from Pakistan side.
The S-400 air defence system of the Indian Air Force brought down five to six Pakistani fighter aircraft and one spy plane at a distance of over 300 Km deep inside Pakistan during the four-day conflict and has been termed as a game-changer by the Indian Air Force.
"The Indian Air Force is also looking to buy the missiles in significant numbers to further bolster its air defence capabilities. The discussions with the Russian side are already on in this regard and a tender for the same is being reissued very soon," sources said.
India and Russia had signed a deal in 2018 for buying five squadrons of the S-400 air defence missile systems.
The Indian side is also looking to add more S-400 squadrons to its inventory and is asking Russia to supply the remaining two squadrons of the missile systems, of which three have already been inducted and operationalised.
The Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is also working towards developing its own long-range air defence system under the prestigious Project Kusha.
- ANI
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