India to double its arsenal of S-400 air defence systems
The Defence Procurement Board (DPB), chaired by the Defence Secretary, okayed the proposal to source five more S400 systems at an expected cost of $6.1 billion (approx Rs 63,000 crore)
India will double its arsenal of the Russian-origin air defence system — S-400. The Defence Acquisition Council, the apex decision-making body at the Ministry of Defence, is set to approve a procurement of five more such systems which performed creditably during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May last year.
The Defence Procurement Board (DPB), chaired by the Defence Secretary, okayed the proposal to source five more S400 systems at an expected cost of $6.1 billion (approx Rs 63,000 crore).
The additional five systems would double the numbers as India ordered five S-400 systems in 2018 for $5.4 billion. Three of these have been delivered and the remaining two are expected to be delivered this year. The delays were due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The DAC is now going to take up the issue and is set to give an acceptance of neccessity, the first formal step in the procurement process.
The addition of his expansion is part of a broader strategy announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day-2025 to create a nearly seamless kinetic and electronic shield across India’s most vulnerable borders.
The S-400 system — radars, sensors and missiles — was credited with intercepting Pakistani drones and cruise missiles. Last week, the Indian Air Force put out a video showing the S-400 firing away and a missile showed what the IAF called the "longest-ever air kill" in military history, striking a high-value aircraft at a range exceeding 300 km.
Official Sources had indicated that a mere presence of the S-400 forced Pakistani fighters and AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) platforms to operate far back from the border, severely limiting their ability to coordinate strikes.
