India Plans to Acquire Five Additional S-400 Air Defence Squadrons from Russia

India is moving to acquire five additional squadrons of the Russian S-400 Sudarshan air defence missile system, following its reported success during last year's Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. The Defence Ministry is expected to review the Indian Air Force's proposal to deploy these systems along both eastern and western fronts. The S-400 reportedly downed multiple Pakistani aircraft, including a spy plane over 300 km inside Pakistan. Reports contrast this with the Chinese-origin HQ-9 system, which is said to have underperformed in various international conflicts.