S-400 Missile System: India's Sudarshan Chakra

Context: Recently, Russian authorities have confirmed that Russia will deliver the remaining units of S-400 air defence systems to India by 2025-2026. India has strategically deployed four S-400 squadrons, with key installations in Pathankot, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, creating a robust shield around its most critical regions.

• Despite fear of sanctions from the US, under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), India and Russia signed a contract in 2018 for five squadrons of the S-400 system worth over Rs 35,000 crore. 
• Russia has already delivered the three units of S-400 Triumf systems, with the first unit delivered in 2021.  

S-400 Missile System:  

• The S-400 Triumf is a surface-to-air missile system (SAM) and one of the most advanced anti-aircraft systems developed by Russia. 
• It is designed to defend against a wide range of air threats which include- aircrafts, ballistic, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
• The missile defence system includes- multifunctional radars, automated command centres, four types of missiles, and mobile launchers.  
• Capability:
  • S-400 has a maximum range of up to 400 km.
  • It can destroy targets at a height of 10 m to 30 km. 
  • It can track up to 80 targets simultaneously, engaging up to 36 of them at once. 
  • It can intercept targets moving at speeds of up to 4.8 kilometers per second, offering high precision in neutralising fast-moving threats.
• Missiles:
  • 40N6: Long-range missile (400 kms)
  • 48N6: Medium-range missile (250 kms)
  • 9M96E2: Short to Medium-range missile (120 kms)
  • 9M96E: Short-range missile (40 kms)
• The S-400’s radar system includes several different sensors for detection of short-range, medium-range and long-range targets.
  • The main one is the 91N6E Big Bird, a three-dimensional phased-array radar capable of detecting targets at long ranges.
  • The 92N6E Grave Stone radars are used to guide the missiles and more accurately detect medium and short-range targets.
  • The system relies on integrated command control with a 55K6E module that coordinates actions between launchers and radars, ensuring a quick response when a threat is detected.
• Mobility: The S-400 system is mobile, can be mounted on trucks, and thus, allows for easy repositioning and deployment in different terrains. 
• Superiority: 
  • S-400 can be deployed in 5 minutes as opposed to Patriot’s 25 minutes (Patriot is one the United States’s most advanced missile defence systems).
  • Patriot’s top speed of 1.38 km/sec is surpassed by the S-400’s top speed of 4.8 km/sec, making it one of the fastest surface-to-air missiles in the world. This high speed allows the system to intercept ballistic missiles and other fast-moving targets.
  • The S-400 system contains four different types of missiles with maximum ranges of 40 km, 120 km, 250 km, and 400 km, as well as a maximum height of 30 km. By using different ranges and heights, an air defence net with numerous levels is produced.
    • The American THAAD is a one-dimensional missile system that can only fire one type of missile up to a range of 150–200 km.
    • Patriot has a maximum range of 180 km.
• Utility:
  • India plans to use the S-400 systems as a key element of its air defence strategy focused on defending against air and missile threats, particularly from China and Pakistan. 
  • The systems are set to be deployed at strategic locations, including on the northeastern border. 
  • The systems will provide a significant advantage by enabling early warning and precision targeting of enemy targets, which is critical to India’s defence strategy in the context of rising tensions in the region.