The four-day India-Pakistan conflict in May, referred to by New Delhi as “Operation Sindoor,” involved significant use of the missile systems of the two countries. The Indian side was armed mainly with Russian, French, Israeli, and domestically produced missiles. Pakistan used American and Chinese ones. Missiles have become more accurate; their effective operational ranges have become larger; no-escape zones have increased; they have become more autonomous; and can operate in an environment of heavy electronic countermeasures. In the Ukraine conflict, the West has supplied missiles to Kiev, while Russia has been able to prove the effectiveness of its top-end missiles.

Russia is a leading missile manufacturer with a long history of missile development and the ability to significantly increase its production. Russian missile manufacturers produce a broad spectrum of weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles, air-launched cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and air defense systems. Russia’s top air-to-air missiles cruise at very high speeds, have Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar seekers, and are meant for ultra-long-range engagements. Many are designed to counter stealth aircraft and feature high resistance to jamming.

Russia itself has a substantial missile inventory, and its production has increased significantly since 2022. The Russian defense industry’s performance is linked to state support, which allows for heavy subsidies and a focus on specific production objectives.

India has been using Soviet and Russian aerial missiles since the early 1960s, and they have performed well against Pakistani aircraft armed with Western missiles. Both India and Russia saw opportunities in working together and set up BrahMos Aerospace, an Indo-Russian joint venture that designs, develops, and produces the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. This missile saw great success during the recent military standoff with Pakistan. BrahMos is also being sought by many foreign customers.

With Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting New Delhi on December 5 to attend the plenary session of the Russia-India Forum, there is excitement and hope among defense analysts of possible new joint ventures, including potential expanded missile co-production.

Russia’s top air-to-air missiles include the R-37M, a long-range hypersonic missile designed to target aircraft like AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System), including the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, and Ilyushin Il-76-based A-50E, from safe distances. The R-37M is an updated version of the R-37, and has a range of nearly 300km. It is compatible with various Russian fighters, including the MiG-31BM, Su-35S, and Su-57.

The newer R-77-1 (RVV-SD) missile, an upgrade of the R-77, is a next-generation, active radar-homing missile with a 200km range, and is........

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