Russian and Indian Defence Ministers Discuss Accelerated S-400 Air Defence Deliveries: Can Industry Keep Up?

Russian and Indian defence ministers Radjnath Singh and Andrey Belousov&nbsp;have held discussions on the delivery of S-400 long range surface-to-air missile systems during a meeting in&nbsp;the Chinese city of Qingdao. "That was one of key meetings recently between the two countries’ [defence] ministers against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor and the ensuing need to ramp up defence production, especially in such major spheres as air defence, air-to-surface missiles, cutting-edge capabilities, and the modernisation of aircraft platforms," the Indian Defence Ministry reported. This follows reports that Russia may delay the delivery of the final two regiments’ worth of S-400 systems to India, due to the strain on Russia’s own defences from expanding Western Bloc forces near its borders and persistent <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/why-ukraine-cant-seriously-deplete-russia-s400" target="_blank">Ukrainian attacks </a>on its air defence assets. The S-400 currently forms the backbone of Russia’s air defence network, with investment in very large scale procurements having heavily compensated for the limitations of Russia’s tactical combat aviation fleet.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/29/article_6860ac9871feb7_77933206.jpg" title="Indian PM Narendra Modi with Missile Battery From S-400 System">The Indian Air Force was previously scheduled to receive its last of ten battalions’ worth of S-400 systems in 2025, completing a $5.43 billion dollar order placed in October 2018. The system was reported to have played an important role in clashes with the Pakistan Air Force in early May, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi subsequently <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/modi-elaborates-s400-importance-india-defence">singling out its performance</a> for praise. “Platforms like the S-400 have given unprecedented strength to the country,” he stated stated in an address to Army personnel, adding: “A strong security shield has become the identity of India.” The S-400 is one of two high profile weapons systems procured by the Indian Air Force over the past decade, alongside French Rafale fighters, with the perceived <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/indian-air-force-faces-pr-crisis-240-million-rafale-destroyed">serious underperformance</a> of the Rafale, and its loss in combat with Pakistani forces, having increased the importance of the S-400. With the Indian Defence Ministry reportedly eager to receive the systems quickly, it remains uncertain to what extent Russia may prioritise deliveries to its strategic partner over equipping its own forces, and to what extent industry will be able to accommodate faster deliveries to minimise delays in satisfying both domestic and foreign demand.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/29/article_6860ac85f1c3b9_53782938.jpg" title="91N6E&nbsp;Mobile Radar Unit From S-400 System">Russia’s ability to continue deliveries of S-400 systems to India, as well as to Belarus, at a time of intense conflict with Ukraine and the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/foreign-combatants-donbas-battles-russia" >forces of many</a> of its Western supporters on the ground, is a result of the tremendous investments in expanding its scale of production. <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/investment-s400-reindustrailised-sector" >Rejuvenation</a>&nbsp;of the Russian missile industry was prioritised from August 2000, with three major new facilities built including a new wing of the Obukhov Plant in St. Petersburg, the Avitek Plant in Kirov which was throughly modernised, and the NMP Plant in Nizhniy Novgorod. This expansion took until the late 2010s to complete due to a number of delays. The S-400 system uses multiple networked radars operating in complementary wavebands to achieve a high degree of situational awareness, including an ability to engage stealth targets at medium ranges. The system has been intensively combat tested in the Russian-Ukrainian War, and has demonstrated the ability to <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-combat-tests-s400-400km-pairing-a50" target="_blank">engage low flying targets</a> up to 400 kilometres away using new 40N6 surface-to-air missiles, which it does using targeting data either from forward deployed radars or from large airborne radars carried by aircraft such as the&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-growing-use-a50u-hunt-ukr" >A-50 AEW&amp;C </a>or&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/foxhound-40yrs-ukraine-war-fight" >MiG-31 interceptor</a>. This engagement range is among the factors that makes the S-400 a potential game changer for India’s defences on its borders with China and Pakistan.&nbsp;