(GEO MILITARY AFFAIRS) — India’s relentless push to strengthen its multi-layered air defence network has taken a significant strategic turn as New Delhi reportedly signals interest in acquiring Russia’s next-generation S-500 Prometheus system, even as it expands its current fleet of S-400 Triumf batteries.
For India, the proven combat performance of the S-400 Triumf has been a major confidence booster — a sentiment that continues to influence its high-stakes procurement decisions at a time when the South Asian security landscape remains on a hair trigger.
The S-500 Prometheus, known formally as the 55R6M ‘Triumfator-M,’ represents a quantum leap beyond the capabilities of the already formidable S-400.
Equipped with cutting-edge phased-array radar networks and advanced interceptors, the S-500 boasts extended detection and engagement ranges that push it firmly into the realm of ballistic missile defence and near-space intercept operations — an area previously dominated by the US Aegis BMD and THAAD systems.
“However, India’s ambition to acquire the S-500 would hinge on approval from Russia’s top military and political leadership — something that remains unlikely in the short term given the system’s strategic role and limited operational numbers,” cautioned a regional defence analyst familiar with Moscow’s export dynamics.
“India may have to wait several more years before they’re cleared to buy the S-500 — that is, if the Kremlin ultimately gives the green light,” the analyst noted, underscoring how export restrictions reflect the sensitive nature of the Prometheus’s role in Russia’s nuclear command-and-control structure.
So far, Moscow has not made any formal statement confirming whether the S-500 will be offered to foreign customers — a calculated ambiguity that keeps potential buyers like India, China, and possibly Turkey on edge as they hedge their future air and missile defence plans.
For New Delhi, the prospect of adding the S-500 to its arsenal aligns with its wider strategy to plug potential gaps while it races to develop an indigenous long-range layered air defence ecosystem under Project Kusha.
This homegrown initiative, driven by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), aims to deliver a new family of long-range surface-to-air missiles capable of neutralising next-generation threats, from stealth aircraft and supersonic cruise missiles to manoeuvrable re-entry vehicles and hypersonic glide vehicles.
Project Kusha is designed to bridge the performance divide between India’s medium-range air defence solutions like the MR-SAM (with an 80 km engagement range) and the S-400 Triumf (rated up to 400 km), while ensuring strategic self-reliance in the event of geopolitical supply-chain pressures.
Under the project, three missile variants are being developed: the M1 with a reach of 150 km, the M2 at 250 km, and the M3 extending to a potential 350–400 km envelope — essentially creating an indigenous alternative that complements the S-400 and any future S-500 deployment.
Yet, while Project Kusha remains years away from frontline deployment, India’s short-term reality is rooted in proven Russian hardware that has already demonstrated its worth during high-tension standoffs with Pakistan.
Indian defence officials continue to point to Operation Sindoor as a powerful case study in the S-400’s real-world value.
During that operation, the S-400 Triumf reportedly intercepted and destroyed multiple hostile aircraft and incoming missiles launched by Pakistani forces targeting critical Indian military infrastructure — a success that validated its layered deterrence capability.
The landmark USD 5.4 billion (approximately RM25.5 billion) S-400 deal, signed in October 2018 during the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, cemented Russia’s position as India’s go-to partner for strategic air defence technology.
The signing ceremony, overseen by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin, symbolised a deepening security partnership that defied pressure from Washington under the CAATSA sanctions regime.
Known among the Indian Armed Forces as the “Sudarshan Chakra” — a nod to the mythological divine discus weapon — the S-400 is now a cornerstone of India’s tri-layered air defence network, designed to tackle threats as diverse as fourth and fifth-generation fighters, ballistic missiles, stealth cruise missiles, and even UAV swarms at distances of up to 400 kilometres.
Under the original agreement, India ordered five S-400 squadrons, with the first delivered in December 2021 and operationally deployed at Pathankot Air Base in Punjab, providing a powerful deterrent near the volatile Pakistan border.
The second squadron arrived in July 2022 and was deployed in Sikkim, a critical sector facing China’s rapidly modernising Western Theatre Command.
The third squadron began operations in February 2023 in the Rajasthan-Gujarat region, strengthening India’s air defence grid along its vast western frontier.
With three squadrons fully integrated and operational, the remaining two are on track for staged delivery by 2026 — a timeline that underscores India’s long game in maintaining strategic depth across multiple fronts.
At an estimated unit cost of USD 500 million to USD 800 million per squadron (RM2.35 bilion–RM3.76 bilion), the S-400 remains one of the most cost-effective solutions in its class, often benchmarked against the US THAAD and Patriot PAC-3 systems.
While US policymakers have repeatedly warned of possible CAATSA penalties over India’s S-400 deal, New Delhi has stood firm, citing national security imperatives and its sovereign right to pursue an independent defence policy.
By bolstering its arsenal with the S-400 and potentially the S-500, India signals to both adversaries and allies that it is determined to maintain air superiority and layered defence capabilities that can neutralise threats emanating simultaneously from its two nuclear-armed neighbours, Pakistan and China.
The regional strategic calculus only grows more complex when factoring in China’s parallel drive to field next-generation air defence systems — including the HQ-19, which aims to replicate some of the S-500’s anti-missile capabilities, and the increasing integration of PLA Rocket Force assets with PLA Air Force’s advanced radar networks.
In this contested environment, India’s bet on deepening its Russian defence ties, while simultaneously accelerating indigenous development under Project Kusha, reflects the geopolitical reality that future conflicts will test not only fighter jets and bombers but also the speed, accuracy, and depth of multi-layered kill chains and integrated command-and-control.
Looking ahead, India’s decision-makers will have to weigh the long-term benefits of acquiring the S-500 — a system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at ranges up to 600 km and altitudes approaching 200 km — against the hard realities of export restrictions and potential backlash from competing suppliers.
As the arms race for anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) dominance intensifies across Asia, the question is not whether India will continue to expand its layered air defence shield — but how it will balance Russian hardware, Western pressure, and local innovation to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving threat landscape.
For now, the S-400 Triumf stands as India’s undisputed shield in the skies — but the S-500 Prometheus may yet emerge as the next rung on the ladder, a guardian not just of airspace, but of India’s strategic ambition to dominate its near-space domain too.
— GEO MILITARY AFFAIRS