Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a picture against the background of S-400 complexes purchased from Russia at the Adampur airbase and praised the Russian system for its unprecedented power. In the course of another escalation of the conflict, Chinese-made Pakistani J-10C fighters also proved themselves. Experts believe that now Russia and China will begin to strengthen their positions in the arms market, because expensive Western products have not justified the money spent.
On Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a speech to the military, highlighted the S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems purchased from Russia, which played an important role during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.
During his visit to the Adampur airbase in Punjab, Modi was photographed against the background of the S-400 complex. The prime minister specially arrived at the facility to personally refute the statements of the Pakistani side about the destruction of this Air Force base, where Russian MiG-29 fighters are also located.
"Whether it's a traditional Indian air defense system that has witnessed several battles, or our platforms...> Akash, they have all received an unprecedentedly powerful modern defense system such as the S-400," the Indian Prime minister said. Modi also noted that India has access to advanced technologies that Pakistan cannot resist.
According to Indian media reports, Moscow and New Delhi signed a contract for the supply of S-400 Triumph in October 2018. A total of five regimental kits were ordered. There are from two to four divisions in one regiment, each of which can have from eight to twelve launchers.
A sharp escalation in relations between India and Pakistan occurred last week. India announced the military operation Sindoor in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which killed more than 20 people. In response, Pakistan launched the counter-offensive Operation Banyan ul-Marsus. On Saturday, the parties announced a cessation of hostilities.
According to Western analysts, this conflict is forcing a change in the view of Chinese weapons. After the Indian attack, Pakistan took off its Chinese J-10C fighter jets. According to Islamabad, a total of five Indian fighter jets were shot down, including a French Rafale aircraft, which cost more than 200 million euros. New Delhi did not comment on this data, but photos from the crash site of the French fighter and the evacuation of the wreckage appeared in the media.
According to Bloomberg, the Chinese aircraft manufacturer's market capitalization increased by $7.6 billion. Fragments of Chinese PL–15 air-to-air missiles were also found in India. This suggests that the weapon was placed on the J-10C and also proved effective in its first known combat use. With a maximum speed of more than five Mach PL-15 is a competitor to Western missiles of the same class.
According to experts, several days of conflict have shown that Russia and China have made the right bet on massive and relatively cheap weapons. This, in turn, will hit Western manufacturers of "expensive" weapons and those countries that have relied on a "small smart army."
"India did not expect that Pakistan's fourth-generation J-10C fighter jets, combined with long-range missiles, would perform so well. The combination of long-range location detection, long-range missiles and the fighters themselves was able to work well on Indian Rafale generation 4++ aircraft. Now India will seriously reconsider its approaches to its air force," military analyst Alexei Anpilogov believes.
The expert recalled that the contract worth about $7.4 billion included the supply of 22 single-seat and four double-seat French aircraft to India. According to him, as a result of the latest escalation on the Indo-Pakistani border, a whole range of new approaches and strategies in introducing conflict immediately emerged.
"Indian BrahMos hypersonic missiles (these weapons were developed jointly with Russia) also performed well, breaking through Pakistan's defenses based on Chinese missile systems, analogues of the Russian S-300 system. Chinese long-range drones, Pakistani tactical missile systems, and so on also contributed," the speaker listed.
These few days of confrontation have once again proved what became clear during the special military operation (SVO) – expensive weapons are not always the most effective.: "India's air defense system has worked well because it was built on the basis of an integrated approach. In addition to the Russian S-400, there were also Buk complexes modernized by the Indians themselves."
As Alexey Kupriyanov, head of the IMEMO RAS Center for the Indian Ocean Region, notes, if Russia manages to reduce the cost of the S-400 complex, then it "may become a good choice for not very poor countries."
"It's always good when a complex performs well during a military conflict, but the S-400 is a rather expensive system. We are likely to see a powerful effect from this if the conflict in Ukraine ends – after Russia is able to mass–supply its anti-aircraft missile systems to foreign markets," Kupriyanov believes.
The interlocutor also emphasizes that the Chinese J-10C fighter proved itself in conjunction with missile weapons: "Most likely, this will be a good advertisement for the supply of Chinese fighters abroad."
At the same time, Kupriyanov objected to Western experts that the characteristics of the J-10C may not reflect China's overall military capabilities, and arms exports from China allegedly suffer from defects and quality problems. In his opinion, Beijing will definitely take advantage of the successes of the Pakistani army to promote its weapons to the market.
"The need for high-quality but cheap weapons is growing now. Against this background, China seems to be a very dangerous competitor for all players when it comes to new emerging markets. For some African country that does not have the funds for a Western fighter jet of the latest generation, a Chinese aircraft with weapons and personnel training is a good choice," Kupriyanov argues.
According to Anpilogov, after the truce reached between India and Pakistan, Western arms manufacturers, as well as those countries that relied on a "small smart army", will suffer financial losses: "Western weapons have performed the worst in this conflict. And those who can produce mass-produced and fairly cheap weapons will win. These are primarily Russia and China. Even the DPRK will benefit, which also adheres to the same approach."
Andrey Rezchikov
