S-400 Triumf: All about India’s advance system used to thwart Pakistan’s incursion

The entire system takes about 5-10 time to set-up, which makes is useful for high mobility operations and rapid relocation

The Indian Armed Forces on Wednesday night used S-400 Triumf, a long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by Russia, to thwart aerial attacks launched by Pakistan in the country’s border areas.

A statement by the defence ministry earlier today said that on the night of May 7-8, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles. “These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems.”

The Indian name of S-400 Triumf air defence missile system is S-400 “Sudarshan chakra”. Developed by Russia’s Almaz-Antey, the missile SAM system is one of the world’s most advanced in its category. In 2018, India had signed a $5.4 billion deal to buy five S-400 Triumf units. And the first unit was deployed in Punjab.

The S-400 SAM is distinguished by its advanced radar systems, long-range missile capabilities, high mobility, operational flexibility, adaptability to various threats, and strong networking features. Reports say that it can maintain 300 target tracks while engaging 36 threats. It can also detect and engage targets including ballistic missiles at the edge of space at 30 km altitude.

The SAM system can carry missiles with range up to 400 Km. It can intercept threats well before they reach protected assets, and force enemy aircraft to stand off. The system has the ability to hit slow and fast targets, such as helicopters, UAVs, and cruise missiles, say reports.

Additionally, the components of the S-400--launchers, radars and command posts--are mounted on trucks for easy transport. The entire system takes about 5-10 time to set-up, which makes is useful for high mobility operations and rapid relocation. For instance, the launchers can fire missiles on the move immediately after stopping, then quickly displace, reports say.

The US equivalent of S-400 is MIM-104 Patriot and THAAD. Both the SAM systems, however, have a shorter missile-range of upto 200 Km. China has also developed a similar SAM system, known as HQ-9. It has a 200 km radar detection range with active radar-homing missiles and cold launch capability but a shorter detection range and fewer missile types compared to the S-400.

On April 7 morning., Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. “Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised,” an official release said.