India to procure 5 more S-400 squadrons

New Delhi: India is planning to procure five additional squadrons of the S-400 Sudarshan air defence missile system from Russia, following its reported success during Operation Sindoor last year.

The Defence Ministry is expected to soon take up the Indian Air Force’s proposal to acquire the additional five squadrons. The systems are planned to be deployed along both the eastern and western fronts.

The Indian Air Force is also looking to procure missiles in significant numbers to strengthen its air defence capabilities, with discussions already underway with the Russian side and a tender expected to be reissued soon, sources added. India and Russia had signed a $5.5 billion deal in 2018 for five squadrons of the S-400 system.

Of these, three have been inducted and operationalised, while India is also seeking delivery of the remaining two squadrons and exploring the addition of more units to its inventory. Moscow is expected to deliver units of the final two S-400 systems to India in 2026 and 2027.