India Likely To Expand S-400 Fleet After Op Sindoor Success, May Also Procure S-500: Report

India may procure additional batches of the Russian-made S-400 missile defence system, which proved to be very effective during Operation Sindoor, reported PTI citing people familiar with the matter.India

is looking at procuring additional batches of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems from Russia, the report stated, adding that the proposed procurement may figure in talks between New Delhi and Moscow when Russian President Vladimir Putin visits India in December.The people cited above said India may also look at procuring the S-500 missile system as well.Moscow and New Delhi are negotiating increased deliveries of S-400 missile systems, TASS news agency reported last month citing a senior Russian defence export official. "India already has our S-400 system," TASS quoted Dmitry Shugayev, head of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, as saying. "There is potential to expand our cooperation in this area as well. That means new deliveries. For now, we are in the negotiation stage."When asked if India is looking at buying additional systems of the S-400 weapon system, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh did not give a direct reply. "Obviously, that has done good. So, there's a requirement to have more such (systems); there is no limit to numbers that you can buy. Again, I'm keeping quiet on what the plan (is) whether we want to buy more, how much etc," he said at a press conference on Friday. "It has proved to be a good weapon system. We have our own system also being developed. So we will take a call on that," he said. The S-400 systems played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor.India signed a USD 5.43 billion deal with Russia in 2018 for five squadrons of the S-400 missile system, a state-of-the-art air defence platform capable of engaging multiple aerial threats at long ranges. Three squadrons have already been delivered.Re-christened as “Sudarshan Chakra” in India, the S-400 air defence system is capable of detecting and destroying missiles and drones. Amid recent tensions between India and Pakistan, S-400 system successfully neutralised drones fired by Pakistan in retaliation to Operation Sindoor.