India’s S-400 ‘Sudarshana Chakra’ played a strategic triumph in Operation Sindoor |
During Operation Sindoor, India’s S-400 air defence system demonstrated exceptional combat performance, effectively deterring Pakistan during its retaliatory strikes. The S-400, also known as the “Sudarshana Chakra,” was reportedly deployed for the first time in a real combat scenario and played a crucial role in intercepting incoming aerial threats after India conducted precision strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan. These strikes were carried out in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 innocent tourists and injured many others. With its long-range detection and interception capabilities, the S-400 significantly strengthened India’s air defence posture, neutralising multiple Pakistani drone and missile attacks and preventing potential damage to vital civilian and military infrastructure.
With a 400-kilometre range, the S-400 covers much of Pakistani airspace, enabling India to enforce tactical “no-fly zones” along border regions. Pakistan, in response, has conducted a concerted attack with drones and missiles on fifteen Indian towns, including Jammu, Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Bhuj. The S-400 system effectively identified and neutralised all inbound threats, avoiding potential damage to critical military installations and civilian regions. The effective interception of Pakistani aerial threats underscored the S-400’s significance as a crucial component of India’s multi-layered air defence system, thereby enhancing national security, bolstering its comprehensive national power, and strengthening its regional deterrent posture.
Also, recently, there is news that Pakistan tried to secretly send important military technology out of Russia, including parts for the Russian S-400 air defence system. However, Russian security officers discovered this plan and halted it before anything could be taken. Russian agents found that Pakistan’s intelligence agency was behind the plot, as reported by The Economic Times. This shows the value of this air defence system.
Capabilities
The S-400’s long-range surveillance capability can track naval forces, including Chinese aircraft carriers and Pakistan Navy ships, from hundreds of miles distant. This limits their ability to operate near India, but shore-based S-400 systems assist in safeguarding the oceans and protecting Indian airspace, increasing naval superiority. Its project, code-named “TRIUMF,” is a highly advanced long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by Russia’s Almaz-Antey in the 1990s as an upgrade to the S-300 family of missiles to counter advances in Western air defence systems, such as the MIM-104 Patriot. It is designed to replace the previous S-200 and S-300 systems, which were produced in the 1960s and 1970s. The S-400 was approved for deployment on April 28, 2007, and the first battalion of the system began combat duty on August 6, 2007.
The S-400 improves air operations by safeguarding airbases, advanced posts, and vital infrastructure, allowing India’s offensive air forces to operate uninterrupted. It lessens the need for homeland defence, allowing troops to focus on targeting adversaries while also improving........