By A Correspondent

New Delhi: India got delivery of the fourth Russian S-400 system on Wednesday (June 3, 2026), and is preparing to deploy the air defence weapon against its nuclear-armed western neighbour, Pakistan.

Defence Ministry officials said the consignment with the fourth S-400 system for the Indian Air Force (IAF) arrived in India after pre-delivery inspection by IAF officers in Russia in May 2026.

The entire S-400-related equipment would be delivered by the end of this month, after which it would be deployed close to the Pakistan border, boosting the air defence mechanism to counter all aerial threats from aircraft to missiles.

India has christened the S-400s as ‘Sudharsan Chakra’, named after a mythological weapon of Lord Vishnu, one of the trinity Gods in the Hindu pantheon.

The S-400 is among the world’s most advanced air defence systems, capable of tracking and engaging multiple targets simultaneously, including fighter aircraft, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, and airborne surveillance platforms at ranges of up to 400 kilometres.

India and Russia signed a $5.43-billion deal in 2018 for the supply of five S-400 regiments, of which three had been delivered and inducted already.

India had effectively used the S-400 to hit and destroy a high-value aerial asset at over 300 km range during the May 2025 Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.

The fifth and final S-400 regiment is expected to be delivered by the end of 2026, completing the 2018 contract, the officer said.

The delivery of the weapon system, originally scheduled for completion in 2023, was delayed due to the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022.

Since then, India has pressed for hastening the deliveries of the weapon system, in view of the urgency related to its military operational requirements.

Russia has assured India it would complete its commitment by November 2026, even as New Delhi approved an IAF proposal in March 2026 to order five more S-400 systems from Moscow, to double its inventory.

India has been extremely satisfied with the S-400’s performance after it proved its mettle in a real-time battlefield situation during the 4-day war with Pakistan to avenge the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

The S-400s have been integrated into the IAF’s Air Command and Control System (IACCS) as a key weapon system in the layered air defence architecture that worked effectively during Operation Sindoor.

Under the IACCS, S-400s operate alongside indigenous Akash missiles and collaborative Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (MRSAM), creating a multi-tiered shield against a wide range of enemy aerial threats to Indian skies.

The completion of S-400 deliveries would help India complete an air defence modernisation loop, strengthening its capabilities to safeguard critical military and civilian infrastructure along borders with both Pakistan and China.

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