New Delhi.
Three months after Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has publicly disclosed the major attack for the first time that military officials consider unprecedented in the history of modern air war. Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal A. during a lecture in Bengaluru on Saturday. P. Singh said that on May 7, a large air platform of Pakistan was killed from a distance of about 300 km. It can probably be Electronic Intelligence (Elint) or Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW & C) aircraft.
He has described it as the longest distance-recorded surface-to-sky event. The Air Force Chief clarified that “300 km a distance this record is not about the size of an aircraft, but in terms of distance.” Such attacks are often tougher because debris falls into the border of the enemy country and it is not possible to verify independently.
In this case, the statement of the Air Force Chief was probably given only after confirmation through electronic tracking. According to officials, “We have electronic methods from which we can confirm a target. A blip appears on the radar and then disappears.”
Why is 300 km a distance special?
To demolish an aerial target from such a long distance, not only a long-range interceptor missile-SAM, but also requires exact tracking, stable target lock and continuous guidance capacity of weapons to the target. The Indian Air Force recently gained this capacity with the arrival of the Russian S-400 system. According to officials, the firepower of up to 400 km of the S-400 system stopped Pakistani fighter aircraft at such a distance that they could not even use long-range glide bombs.
Rare examples in the world
In the recent struggles, there have been very few cases of surface-to-the-to-surface hit. In February 2024, Ukraine claimed that it dropped Russia’s A-50 detective aircraft at a distance of more than 200 km. In February 2022, a SU-27 fighter aircraft of Ukraine fell about 150 km from the Russian S-400. Such an attack from a distance of 300 km is extremely rare.
India has so far received 3 S-400 units from Russia, which have been deployed on the border of Pakistan and China. The remaining 2 units are expected to be available by 2025–26. Authorities compared it to a flashlight that can see many kilometers within the range. Along with S-400 in Operation ‘Sindoor’, Barak-8 Medium Range SAM and Swadeshi Akash Missile System also played an important role. Recently the Defense Acquisition Council has approved a comprehensive annual maintenance contract for S-400.
Caatsa and S-400 Deal
India signed with Russia at the S-400 deal 2018, exactly one year later when the US implemented the Countering America ‘Si Adversaries Through Sankstions Act (CAATSA). This law allows a ban on countries with large defense dealings from Russia, Iran or North Korea.
