By A Correspondent

New Delhi: India is moving ahead with a proposal to buy five more S-400 and 13 Pantsir-S1 air defence systems for its air force and army, amidst a US Sanctions threat looming large over its engagements with Russia.

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) panel that gives initial approvals for arms procurement cleared the Indian Air Force (IAF) proposal for more S-400s, against the backdrop of the Russian-origin air defence system performing exceedingly well to defend the Indian air space during the May 2025 Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.

The Defence Procurement Board (DPB), headed by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, in its March 2, 2026, meeting agreed with the IAF to buy more S-400 missiles, considering the need for robust air defence systems as witnessed during the West Asian military conflict since February 28, 2026, after the US-Israel air strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The IAF proposal would now move to the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, for Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) approval, according to officials with knowledge of the matter.

AoN approval is a critical step that kick-starts the procurement process, following which India would ask the Russian firms to submit their commercial bids for the multi-billion-dollar deal.

Once the commercial negotiations are completed, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the highest decision-making body chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would provide the final go-ahead for the contract signing.

The fresh proposal for five S-400 systems was for off-the-shelf purchase, but maintenance, overhaul, and repair (MRO) responsibility for the systems would go to the Indian private sector.

India had in 2018 bought five S-400 systems from Russia, of which three systems have been delivered and deployed during Operation Sindoor.

Two remaining S-400 systems are to be delivered later in 2026 and inducted into the IAF’s air defence grid, which had performed exceptionally well when India defended its airspace from Pakistani missiles and aerial attacks during Operation Sindoor.

India, on the other hand, effectively used its combat jets to strike at 11 Pakistan air bases and military installations with impunity on May 10, 2025, forcing the Pakistan Army Director General of Military Operations to pick up the hotline with his Indian counterpart to plead for a ceasefire.

In another move, the IAF and the Indian Army are expected to move a proposal to buy 13 Pantsir-S1 self-propelled missile systems from Russia, of which 10 would go to the IAF and the rest three systems to the Indian Army, according to the officials mentioned above.

The Pantsir-S1 missiles were used by Russia successfully during its over four-year military operations in Ukraine to counter Medium-Range Surface to Air Missiles (MRSAMs), cruise missiles, short-range rockets, and Kamikaze drones.

In the case of Pantsir-S1, India is looking for a ‘Make in India’ component as part of the purchase contract, which would be performed by the Indian private sector, in view of the urgency in acquiring them. However, a limited number of the contracted Pantsir-S1 would be bought off-the-shelf under the contract, officials noted.

In the present West Asia military conflict, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is said to have used the Pantsir-S1 system effectively to defend its airspace from Iranian ballistic missiles and Kamikaze drones.

India felt the need for the Pantsir-S1 systems in view of the growing regional threat and the proliferation of Chinese and Turkish long-range weapons and loitering munitions by nations inimical to its interests, the officials said.

India’s western and northern borders and the 11,000-km coastline meant it had a vast area and airspace to defend, and both the S-400 and Pantsir-S1 systems fit well into the air defence grid the Indian armed forces are putting in place and building upon.

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