Russia's widely acclaimed S-400 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system is capable of tracking the Lockheed Martin-manufactured F-35, the stealth aircraft marketed by the US as an "invisible" warplane that can't be detected through any radar or air defense platform in the world, an Indian Air Force (IAF) veteran has said.
According to Group Captain (Retd) Uttam Kumar Devnath, the role of the Indian Air Force is to defend the skies of India.
Therefore, it is a necessity that the IAF should have an excellent surface-to-air missile (SAM) system to shoot down the adversary's helicopters, missiles, UAVs, fighter jets, and bomber aircraft.
India Importing Air Defense Systems From Russia For Decades
Devnath highlighted that for this, India has developed certain indigenous capabilities under which the South Asian nation is making the Akash air defense system within the country.
"New Delhi had also imported air defense missile systems from abroad, specifically from Russia. For instance, in the past, India acquired OSA AK, a short-range tactical surface-to-air missile system, and the S-75 Dvina from Moscow," Devnath told Sputnik India on Tuesday
.He noted that continuing on the same lines, the Government of India and the IAF signed a contract with Russia for the import of five regiments of the S-400 air defense system in 2018.
The defense expert underlined that the S-400 was a very potent air defense missile system because it was equipped with four types of in-built missiles.
"The first missile can destroy targets within a range of 40 km, the second inside 120 km, the third at 250 km, and the fourth in a maximum radius of 400 km," Devnath explained.
Western Nations Do Not Have Air Defense Platforms Comparable to S-400
He emphasized that at present, S-400 was among one of the few weapons systems that can shoot down enemy aircraft from a distance of 400 km.
For example, a typical air defense system deployed by Western countries, say the US or NATO forces, would be the Patriot missile system which has a range of 80 to 120 km.
"Western nations have not been able to deploy any air defense missile system with a comparable range of 300 km or 400 km as of now. Plus, the inherent quality of the S-400 is that it can locate stealth fighter aircraft/bombers like the F-22 Raptor or F-35 being operated by the American Air Force and NATO countries," Devnath added.
He mentioned that Russia being a very reliable partner has already supplied India with three regiments of the S-400 system.
Devnath expressed confidence that the remaining two regiments of the S-400 would be delivered to India by the end of this year and the IAF would be able to station them in areas around Jammu and Kashmir.
He asserted that induction of these S-400 missile systems will not only enhance IAF's ability to tackle aerial threats in the Western theatre but also magnify it in the Northern and Eastern theatre.
"The IAF has very good experience with Russian air defense missile systems, which are highly reliable. That's why the IAF has a lot of respect and belief in Russian air defense missile systems," Devnath concluded.