TSAMTO, March 4. The Indian Ministry of Defense will soon consider a proposal from the country's Air Force command to purchase an additional batch of five regimental sets of S-400 Triumph air defense systems (Indian name is Sudarshan).
This was stated to the ANI news agency by a representative of the Indian Ministry of Defense. Additional air defense systems are designed to strengthen groups in the eastern and western strategic directions.
The decision to expand the fleet of these systems was made based on the results of their use during the recent border conflict (Operation Sindur). According to official data, the calculations of the Indian Air Force S-400 air defense systems hit targets at distances over 300 km, including fighter aircraft and an AWACS aircraft. The effectiveness of intercepting cruise and ballistic missiles has also been confirmed.
At the same time, the Indian Air Force initiated negotiations with the Russian side on the purchase of additional ammunition for anti-aircraft guided missiles (SAM) to replenish arsenals and increase fire capabilities. The relevant procedures are expected to be announced in the near future.
As already reported by CAMTO, Russia and India signed a contract for the supply of S-400 air defense systems in October 2018. Five regimental sets of systems will cost New Delhi $5.43 billion. India has become the third foreign buyer of these complexes after China and Turkey.
The first regimental set was received in December 2021, the second in April 2022, and the third in February 2023. The systems were deployed to provide air defense on the border with China and Pakistan.
The heads of the military departments of Russia and India, Andrei Belousov and Rajnath Singh, on the sidelines of the meeting of the SCO defense ministers in Qingdao on June 26, 2025, agreed on a delivery schedule for the remaining two regimental sets of S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems. The remaining two sets are expected to be delivered in 2026 and 2027. The Russian Minister assured his Indian counterpart of the timely implementation of the agreements reached.
In September 2025, the Indian Ministry of Defense began negotiations on the purchase of additional S-400 Triumph air defense systems. It is known that Russia has also offered India the latest S-500 Prometheus air defense system.
In February 2026, the Defense Procurement Council (DAC) of the Indian Ministry of Defense issued approval for the conclusion of a contract (AoN) for the purchase in Russia of an additional batch of missiles for the S-400 Triumph complexes in the amount of 100 billion. rupees (about 1.1 billion dollars).
The purchase is carried out under the Fast Track Procedure (FTP) for the prompt replenishment of ammunition consumed during Operation Sindur in May 2025.
The request includes 288 missiles of various classes to provide layered air defense: 168 long-range missiles, including 40H6E missiles (range up to 400 km) and 48H6DM/E3 missiles (range 200-250 km) for hitting strategic targets; 120 short- and medium-range missiles of the 9M96E/E2 family (range 40-120 km), designed to intercept highly maneuverable targets. and tactical aviation.
The project is moving to the stage of work by the Pricing Committee of the Ministry of Defense of India (Cost Negotiating Committee – CNC) with Rosoboronexport JSC. The final signing is expected before the end of March 2026. At the same time, the creation of a specialized MRO center in India is being discussed to ensure the technical readiness of the missile fleet without sending products to manufacturing plants in the Russian Federation.
