Click to see full-size image. (Indian Prime Minister’s Office)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 13 posed in front of a Russian-made S-400 long-range air defense system during a visit to Adampur Air Base in the state of Punjab, debunking Pakistani claims of destroying a system of the same type there during the last confrontation between the two.
The confrontation was sparked by the April 22 terrorist attack on Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for the incident.
The situation escalated on May 7 following deadly Indian retaliatory strikes against Pakistan. The two counties exchanged strikes across the Line of Control, the de-facto borders in the disputed region of Kashmir, as well as over the internationally-recognized border for the next three days.
Hours before a ceasefire was announced on May 10, the Pakistani military launched a large-scale strike against India, using Chinese-made CM-400AKG air-launched ballistic missiles to attack an S-400 system deployed at Adampur. The Indian military denied later that the system was hit, and satellite images shared by the Pakistani media showing damage at the air base turned out to be modified.
The S-400 is the main pillar of India’s air defense network. Under a $5.43 billion deal signed in 2018, the country received four squadrons of the system from Russia. Each squadron is composed of two batteries. Each battery, or firing unit, is equipped with six launchers, a radar and a control center with 128 missiles. A squadron has a total of 16 vehicles.
In total, India got 60 launchers with around 6,000 missiles including 9M96E2 with a range of 120 kilometers, 48N6E2 with a range of 200 kilometers, 48N6E3 with a range of 240 kilometers and 40N6E which can engage targets as far as 380 kilometers.
The Indian military activated its S-400 systems during Pakistan’s first retaliatory attack on May 7, using both its shortest-range missile, the 9M96E2, and the longest-range missile, the 40N6E, to intercept several types of aerial targets. Indian media praised the performance of the system.
“Earlier this morning, I went to AFS Adampur and met our brave air warriors and soldiers. It was a very special experience to be with those who epitomise courage, determination and fearlessness. India is eternally grateful to our armed forces for everything they do for our nation,” Modi posted to the X social network after visiting the base.
The success of the S-400 during the confrontation with Pakistan encouraged India to request more systems from Russia to further bolster its air defenses, India Today reported after Modi’s visit to Adampur, citing “highly-placed defence” sources.
In general, the latest confrontation will likely push India to boost its military cooperation with Russia. While Russian systems, including the S-400, performed very well during the confrontation, others faced problems, namely the Dassault Rafale fighter jets purchased very recently from France. At least one such fighter jet was shot down by Pakistan, leading to doubts about the $8 billion deal for just 36 jets.
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i prefer swallow nazi jizz after jens holm had stroke now in lgbt nursing home
rafale sunt ca renaultul… o mizerie.
după zeci de. miliarde băgate în tehnica vest europeana…. tot la tehnica ursoaicei ajunge… si rămâne.
in a week french dassault company lost approx 10 % value in its shares ,it seems coverups on both sides occurred but usa spy satellites did confirm one rafale jet down and that pakistan had better radar blocking technology and it helped its jets to target indian targets using its in the air converted civilian awac which had chinese software helping the chinese jets that pakistan used..