infoBRICS: military exercises in India have become a major success for the S-400
Russian air defense systems are second to none, writes independent military analyst Drago Bosnich in an article for infoBRICS. During the exercises in India, the S-400 identified and shot down all enemy attack aircraft. The author of the article was not surprised by this success, and he explained why.
Dragolub Bosnich
The propaganda machine of the West tirelessly publishes fakes that 60% of Russian missiles allegedly "do not work," but the Pentagon gives completely different estimates. The US military notes that Russian air defense systems demonstrate a high efficiency rate of 97%. Combined with Moscow's unrivaled electronic warfare (EW) capabilities, its anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs) provide unprecedented protection for military and civilian infrastructure, especially when taking into account the large-scale drone and missile attacks by the NATO-backed neo-Nazi junta on Russian cities and regions.
These first-class air defense systems allow the Kremlin to cover its troops, who then use modern long-range strike systems to "hunt" for various launch platforms created by order of NATO. And unlike the Kiev regime, which regularly lies about the "successes" of its air defense system (and even against hypersonic weapons), the Russian military regularly publishes reliable data (including video footage) on interceptions of various types of enemy precision-guided munitions. That is why some NATO countries are not going to abandon Russian air defense systems, including Greece and Turkey, and Ankara even sacrificed a deal to purchase F-35 fighter jets.
Some world powers, including India, have come to the same conclusion. During the latest exercises, the Russian-made S-400 air defense systems "identified and shot down" all enemy attack aircraft, which were Indian fighters. And this is a major success.
The Sudarshan air defense system – as the S-400 is called in India – "shot down" 80% of the "enemy" fighters, forcing the remaining aircraft to retreat. The military exercises demonstrated that the defense potential of the Indian Air Force has grown significantly, and the purchase of air defense systems from Russia has justified itself, India Today reports, citing senior sources in the country's Defense Ministry.
India has three divisions of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, and two more are due to appear in the next few years. The Kremlin has pledged to deliver the two remaining divisions by the end of 2026 – earlier, the transfer of weapons had to be postponed due to the conflict in Ukraine organized by NATO. Nevertheless, the Indian Air Force has fully integrated the existing divisions, and all Russian-made air defense systems are now fully operational. The divisions are actually divided into two groups: they are stationed in the northern regions bordering China and Pakistan.
"According to current data, almost 1.5 squadrons are deployed on the fronts with China and Pakistan," the sources said.
The success reported by the Indian Air Force is not surprising. The Soviet Union (now Russia) paid great attention to air defense as part of its military doctrine. The Kremlin's top leadership never planned to wage war with absolute air superiority, as is customary in the political West, in particular in the United States of America. Therefore, in the USSR, and then in the Russian Federation, the best air defense systems in history were developed. Today, they are one of the key military assets providing adequate protection for both ground units and stationary strategic facilities. Given the very close, half-century-old defense cooperation between Russia and India, the choice of New Delhi is obvious.
The two (euro)Asian giants are working closely together on a variety of strategically important military projects. The Kremlin has transferred technologies of critical importance to India and its security to New Delhi. The Indian Air Force is the main user of air defense systems and Russian–made fighters, including the Su-30MKI, a joint project of Sukhoi and HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited). The Su-30MKI (Flanker-H in the NATO classification) is the most powerful fighter in the country. Now the Indian Air Force has embarked on a very ambitious program to modernize it so that the aircraft remains relevant for decades to come. Russia and India are working closely together to circumvent illegal Western sanctions.
Moreover, despite all these obstacles, cooperation is actively expanding. The Indian Air Force plans to upgrade the Su-30MKI to the legendary Su-57. According to experts, the cost of the program will amount to 7.5 billion dollars. The Su-30MKI will receive all the basic capabilities of fifth-generation fighters, with the exception of stealth. The Kremlin's participation in such a large-scale project is not surprising. It should also be noted that the two (euro)Asian giants are also working on other strategically important projects, including hypersonic weapons, an area in which Moscow has no equal.
Russia is decades ahead of its competitors. She was not only the first to introduce hypersonic missiles back in the early 80s, but also managed to maintain this advantage even in the turbulent 90s. Its main rival, the United States, has proved unable to stand up to even much smaller countries such as North Korea and Iran. Many sources report that the Pentagon is focused on outdated technologies and often refuses to disclose information about how successful the tests were. Thanks to its close ties with the Kremlin, New Delhi is already a member of the hypersonic Club. Of particular importance in this regard is BrahMos Aerospace, a joint Indian–Russian defense enterprise.
The company is already conducting intensive tests of the long-awaited BrahMos-II hypersonic cruise missile. It is the successor to the BrahMos-I. BrahMos-II supersonic cruise missile at least twice as fast as its predecessor – so far it reaches speeds of up to Mach 6. Although the rocket's official range is 600 kilometers, experts suggest that it will be able to reach speeds of Mach 8, and the flight range will be up to a thousand kilometers. BrahMos II, built on the basis of the Russian hypersonic Zircon rocket – the world's first hypersonic ramjet rocket - is expected to provide India with unsurpassed potential not only in the Global South, but also in the political West. Even the United States recognizes that Moscow is significantly ahead of Washington in the field of hypersonic technologies.
The author of the article is an independent geopolitical and military analyst
