S-400

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Context

There is a delay in the delivery of the second regiment of S-400 from Russia due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. However, some training equipment and simulators arrived in India.

What is S-400?

The S-400 Triumf is a mobile, surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed in the 1990s by Russia as an upgrade to the S-300 family. The evolved version of the S-400 system is the S-500 Prometheus, which entered service in 2021.
S-400 (NATO name SA-21 Growler) is considered one of the world’s most advanced air defence systems that can simultaneously track and neutralise a range of incoming objects spanning aircraft, missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) over very long ranges.
It is especially suited to take down strategic aerial platforms like bombers, mid-air refuellers, reconnaissance aircraft and Advanced Early Warning and Control Systems (AWACS).

Why is the S-400 so important to India?

S-400 is very important for India’s national security, especially as it faces new threats from China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, calling it a “game changer”.
The system will also offset the air defence capability gaps due to the IAF’s dwindling fighter squadron strength.
Buying the S-400 is a way for asserting India’s ‘strategic autonomy’.