The major aerial exercise ‘Poorvi Akash‘ held across the northeastern states along the China border by the Indian Air Force included joint operations with the Army and involved high-tech lethal weapons such as the ‘Sudarshan’ S-400 air defence missile systems.
Sudarshan New Name of S 400
‘Sudarshan’ chakra is the main weapon of Bhagwan Shri Krishna. The Indian Air Force led by ACM VR Chaudhari has named the S-400 air defence missile systems imported from Russia after the Sudarshan chakra as Sudarshan.
The S-400 Triumf is a mobile, surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by Russia, capable of intercepting and destroying various aerial targets, such as aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.
The S-400 has a range of up to 400 km, at an altitude of up to 30 km and can engage up to 36 targets simultaneously, with four different types of missiles. It is the most dangerous operationally deployed modern long-range SAM (MLR SAM) in the world, considered much ahead of the US-developed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD).
IAF Northeast Wargames Along China Border
The Eastern Air Command is one of the lethal arms of the Indian Air Force which controls air operations over a vast area of over three lakh square km that straddles 12 states including the seven states of North-East India.
S 400 SAM
Type: Mobile long-range surface-to-air/anti-ballistic missile system
Place of origin: Russia
Designer: Almaz-Antey
Manufacturer: Fakel Machine-Building Design Bureau
IAF Activates Three S-400 Missile Units On The China, Pak Border
With the Air Force having already operationalized three of its S-400 air defence missile squadrons along borders with China and Pakistan, Indian and Russian officials are set to meet soon to discuss the final delivery schedule for the remaining two squadrons. India had signed an over Rs 35,000 crore contract with the Russian side in 2018-19 for five squadrons of the S-400 missiles of which three have already arrived in the country but delivery of the remaining two was hindered due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The system would be ably complemented by the existing air defence systems, including the Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) of the three services and is already operational.
