Russia’s S-400 systems played decisive role in Operation Sindoor — Indian expert

NEW DELHI, August 28. /TASS/. Russian-made S-400 air defense missile systems played a decisive role in India’s Sindoor military operation conducted in May 2025 to eliminate terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra, former commander of the Indian Western Air Command, told the ANI news agency.

"During the hostilities, the S-400 air defense systems played a decisive role by preventing Pakistani fighter jets from getting within 200 km of the Indian border," the military official said. Islamabad used space-based reconnaissance and a variety of other channels to try to detect the S-400s, including by deploying sleeper agents in India to get information on their whereabouts. "These efforts were fruitless. During the conflict, the S-400 missiles drastically limited the operations of the Pakistan Air Force," Mishra emphasized.

During the conflict, Indian forces destroyed several ground-based radar stations and command posts of the Pakistani Armed Forces. The S-400 shot down a Pakistani long-range airborne warning and control system aircraft — the missile was launched at it from a distance of 314 km, marking the longest-range use of air defense systems in military history, he added.

In 2018, India signed an agreement to purchase five S-400 battalions for $5.43 billion from Russia. The air defense system’s deliveries began in 2021. To date, Russia has delivered four S-400 systems. The fifth battalion is expected to be shipped to India in November.

The Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) of the Indian Ministry of Defense approved the purchase of an additional 280 short-and long-range S-400 missiles to replenish stocks depleted during Operation Sindoor, as well as to build up a reserve of long-range weapons.

Following the April 22, 2025 terrorist attack in the tourist town of Pahalgam (in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir), New Delhi launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, striking terrorist-linked targets in Pakistan. Russian-made military equipment in service with the Indian Armed Forces was deployed in the operation. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that India’s air defense system, reinforced in part by the S-400 air defense missile system, became a decisive force in that operation.