India Plans A Domestic S-400 MRO Facility to Bolster Maintenance Autonomy, Exploring to Order More Unit to Enhance Air Defence

In a significant move to enhance its military self-reliance, India is actively planning to establish a local facility for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of its Russian-made S-400 Triumf air defence systems.

Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane confirmed the initiative, which is aimed at ensuring the long-term operational readiness of this critical military asset.

Alongside this development, he indicated that India may also consider acquiring additional S-400 units after the current delivery schedule is completed.

The S-400 is recognised as one of the world's most sophisticated long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, capable of neutralizing enemy aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and ballistic missiles from a distance of up to 400 kilometres.

In October 2018, India finalised a $5.43 billion agreement with Russia to procure five squadrons of the S-400 system, a decision made despite the risk of sanctions under the U.S. Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

To date, three squadrons have been delivered and integrated into India's air defence network. The delivery of the final two squadrons, originally slated for 2024, has been rescheduled and is now expected to be completed by mid-2026 due to supply chain adjustments.

The proposed MRO facility is a cornerstone of India's strategy to reduce its reliance on foreign nations for crucial maintenance and support.

"Setting up an MRO facility for the S-400 in India will ensure operational readiness and reduce dependency on foreign support," stated a defence official.

This project is expected to involve a collaboration between Russia's original equipment manufacturer, Almaz-Antey, and established Indian defence public sector undertakings like Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), which specialises in missile systems, or Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Such a facility would handle routine maintenance, complex repairs, and future upgrades, aligning perfectly with the government's "Make in India" policy to foster a robust domestic defence industrial base.

The consideration for ordering more S-400 systems stems from India's evolving security landscape, including heightened military activities by China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the increasing missile and drone capabilities of Pakistan.

"Once the current contract is fulfilled, we will evaluate the need for more squadrons based on threat assessments," the official added.

Reports indicate that India might procure an additional two to three squadrons to create a more comprehensive air defence shield over the subcontinent.

These new units could be integrated with India's indigenous radar and command-and-control systems, enhancing the interoperability of its multi-layered air defence network, which also includes systems like the homegrown Akash and the jointly developed Barak-8 missiles.

 

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[sanket]

CAATSA hahaha. Bad time for fanboys of F-35. No fear of CAATSA whatsoever. Bharat will buy additional S-400 and most likely S-500. Joint production is expected that will make F-35 pitching under MRFA/Make in India difficult. Kusha project is still away which is likely to deliver after 4 to 5 years. Until then, as stop-gap measures, a couple of S-400 can be inducted.

 

[Leo red]

Forget dreaming of more S-400s; instead, start developing our own version, the KUSHA project. We need rapid development in this project. Then, there will be no need for any more S-400s.

 

[Pritam Chakraborty]

Five regiments of S-400 are enough for Pakistan. Now go for S-500, which will be useful against China; we can target their J-20s deep inside.

 

[Kira]

I believe it's time to concentrate on Kushna rather than more and more S-400 orders as Russia itself would be hard-pressed to deliver these systems in time in future.

 

[Sandeep]

India needs to focus on developing the Kusha SAM which is equivalent to the S400. This is a very critical, important and necessary requirement as it gives us a multilayer air defence shield against all types of jets, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles and other types. Once we install and connect the Kusha SAM with our integrated air defence system then it will improve our air defence from any type of aerial threat. We have also installed our own indigenous SAM like the VSHORADS, Akash, MR-SAM, Spyder and the future upcoming Akash NG, QRSAM and VL-SRSAM which will provide an overlapping and multilayer line of air defence.

India should also definitely setup a MRO facility for the S400 and its radar system as it will make us more self reliant and reduce any foreign expensive reliance. We can also locally manufacture any parts or components that need repairing or replacing, rely on local service expertise instead of foreign expensive reliance and it provides us the education, training and skills that’s required to operate and maintain the SAM. We should also make a deal where we can locally manufacture the missiles at a much cheaper price so that we don’t depend solely on foreign expensive imports or face long delays to replenish our low stock of missiles.

Now we need to create and improve our air defence system so that we can install more long range stealth radars. We will also need to develop brand new missiles or improve existing missiles that can detect and intercept any stealth jet, drones, helicopters or missiles. We will also need to make sure that it can intercept any hypersonic and ballistic missiles which are very complicated and difficult to intercept because of its very fast speed.