Induction of S-400: A calculative move by India

It is for good reason that Pakistan, of late, is worried about India's capability to strike back decisively to decimate the hostile neighbour in the eventuality of a war after inducting S-400 from Russia. The power of S-400 missile system was perhaps not understood properly by Pakistan till now. It may have realised its real impact only of late - after India signed the deal and after China, perhaps, elaborated on the deadly efficacy of the Russian system, particularly in the Indo-Pakistan context.

It was quite a calculative move on part of India which was facing the threat of the US sanctions. One question that was looming large was whether India would be able to convince the US, particularly the chauvinistic Donald Trump on the Indo-Russian deal in the face of the bumpy US-Russia relations.

The moment India signed the deal, Pakistan rushed to depute a delegation to China to plead with it to ‘help’ it in overcoming the ‘deficiency’. The S-400 deal was inked with Russia during Vladimir Putin's visit to New Delhi in October. The S-400 Triumph missile defence system is a significant strategic upgrade in India's military hardware. In fact, India badly needed such a system given the hostile surroundings and growing capabilities of China and Pakistan. Prior to this, India was defenceless against the incoming missiles from Pakistan. The latter is procuring all sorts of missiles from China to beef up its security against India and also to threaten India deliberately realising that India has no defence virtually to cover itself from threats emanating across 25 km-400 km range.

Cruise missiles, surface-to-surface missile, drones, UAVs, helicopters and rockets...each of this was a potential threat to India if fired across. In fact, India's air defence system was virtually zero. The matter was brought to the notice of the then UPA governments several times yet, it made no moves to procure any mechanism to safeguard itself from the enemy. General V K Singh, who was chief of the Army staff, had written an open letter to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the air defence capability of the country was zero and that we should have a system that is the best in the world.

The S-400 supports four different missiles - the very long range 40N6E-series (400 km), the long range 48N6 (250 km), the 9M96e2 (120 km) and the short range 9m96e (40 km). It can prioritise the incoming attacks and take action appropriately. Given its powerful radars which can pick up any movement in the air up to a distance of 600 kms. Any aircraft taking off from its (Pakistan's) airfields can be picked up by us and we can knock it down before it comes anywhere near the border.

This is one system which can track more than 300 aerial objects concurrently and can destroy up to 30 of them. Pakistan is running from pillar to post precisely because of this reason. Add to this, the Barak missiles to be procured, it completes the picture of an invincible India. Hope the deal stays unlike several others that have run into trouble in the country.