An Indian Air Force team has arrived in Russia to inspect a fourth S-400 system for India, which is likely to arrive by the end of April and will be deployed in the western sector, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.
The fifth S-400 system is scheduled to be deployed by November this year, they said, days after the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) approved five additional Russian-origin S-400 Triumf air defense systems. The fourth unit of the air defense system is likely to be deployed in Rajasthan.
The additional air defense systems will take the number of S-400 units in India to 10. The country had ordered five units from Russia in 2018 under a government-to-government deal. Following DAC approval, all steps leading to a government-to-government deal for the additional systems are likely to be closed within a year, the officials quoted above said.
India’s defense acquisition process follows a series of approvals to ensure strict oversight. It begins with a case statement, outlining operational requirements and justification for the purchase. The proposal is then examined by the Defense Procurement Board, which is chaired by the Minister of Defence. It then goes to the DAC for approval. Once this is completed, detailed cost negotiations are undertaken with the vendor, followed by financial approval from the relevant authority. Final approval is given by the Ministerial Committee for Security (CCS).
The Indian Air Force had previously offered to buy five more S-400 systems from Russia besides the short-range Pantsir system. The Russian missile system is effective in combating armed and suicide drones. The S-400 and Pantsir missile systems can be combined into a two-layer defense system to destroy air objects launched across the border.
The Indian Armed Forces extensively used the air defense system to shoot down Pakistani fighter jets, early warning and intelligence gathering aircraft and armed drones during Operation Sindoor in May 2025.
HT had earlier reported that after India hit a wide-body aircraft inside Punjab in Pakistan at a distance of 314 km using an S-400 long-range missile, Rawalpindi turned virtually all its operational aircraft towards its air bases in the west near Afghanistan and Iran.
With India attacking Pakistani radar installations in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sialkot and Pasore, the PAF did not appear on 9 and 10 May due to fear of the S-400 system deployed in Adampur and Bhuj sectors.
