Sources say that as part of the deal between India and Russia, India has received the third squadron of the S-400 air defence missile system.
India has agreed to buy five squadrons from Russia. The third squadron is part of that deal. The first squadron arrived in December 2021, and the second in April 2022.
Both squadrons have been strategically placed to protect borders and keep China and Pakistan’s planes from getting through.
Sources say that the third squadron will likely be sent to either Punjab or Rajasthan to deal with any possible attacks from Pakistan.
The S-400 system can destroy anything from drones to ballistic missiles up to 400 kilometres away.
India’s first two squadrons of missile systems are already up and running. The first two squadrons have been sent to take care of the Ladakh sector, the sensitive Chicken’s Neck corridor in West Bengal, and the whole north-eastern region.
India and Russia have agreed to sell India five squadrons of S-400 air defence missiles. The deal is worth more than Rs 35,000 crore.
WHY S-400 IS IMPORTANT FOR INDIA?
The S-400 is the most advanced surface-to-air missile defence system with a long range that Russia has. It can track incoming aircraft, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a radius of a few hundred kilometres and fire the right missiles at them to stop them.
It has radars that can pick up an incoming object up to 1,000 kilometres away, track several dozen incoming objects at the same time, send the targets to missile systems, and make sure a high success rate.
S-400 was made to find and destroy a wide range of targets, such as strategic bombers, aircraft used for electronic warfare, early warning, and reconnaissance, and even fighter jets like the F-16 and F-22.
