S-400 ‘Triumf’ missile system – a geopolitical tangle

Full update on the Indian purchase of S-400 missile system from Russia

S-400 ‘Triumf’ missile system – a geopolitical tangle

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• The story: India has finally bought the S-400 ‘Triumf’ missile system from Russia. This was despite strong US opposition to India doing so. But, maintaining strategic autonomy, India went ahead and bought it.
• Integrated Air Defence System: The basic building blocks of an IADS are a series of radars and command posts. At the highest level are long-range air search radars. These are usually operated at the national or sector level. In the Indian case, the long-range surveillance system is underpinned by THD-1955 radars that can see out to more than 1,000 km.

1. If the radars form the eyes of an IADS, then a series of “operations centres” or “nodes”, form the brains.
2. An operations centre controls all air defences in its assigned sector.
3. It takes in data from several sources (long-range radars, AWACS, observation posts, and others), deconflicts it, generates a consolidated picture of the airspace, prioritises targets, and issues instructions to various fighting units under its command. Multiple operations centres report up to a national headquarters.
4. Situated one level below the operations centre are individual air defence units.
5. A unit is centered around a command post and a surveillance radar.
6. The surveillance radar passes preliminary data on intruding enemy aircraft to a Target Acquisition Radar (TAR). TARs are generally shorter in range, but capable of more precision than a surveillance radar. They take the contacts acquired by the surveillance radar and develop precise target tracks.
7. The next grouping in the hierarchy is a “battery”, which the IAF calls a “Firing Unit” or “Flight”. Russian Forces call it a “Battalion”.
8. Finally, we come to the missiles themselves. Like radars, they come in all ranges, sizes, and types; but unlike radars, they are not distributed throughout the command chain.

• S-400 system: The S-400 is an entire family of radars, command posts, missiles, and support elements that can be assembled into combat units to protect large patches of airspace. Developed by Russia’s Almaz Central Design Bureau, it was inducted into service in mid-2007, and has been exported to China, Turkey, and India. Configuration of a typical S-400 regimental set/squadron. Each squadron can contain up to four batteries, with each battery supporting up to twelve launch vehicles. The central element of an S-400 unit is a surveillance radar—the 91N6E ‘Big Bird’. It is paired with a command vehicle, the 55K6E, which houses operator consoles from where an air battle is managed.

1. Together, the Big Bird and the 55K6E form a command post called the 30K6E.
2. A command post can manage as many as eight individual batteries (also known as firing units), although two is more common. Each battery is equipped with a 92N6E ‘Grave Stone’ radar for target acquisition as well as fire control, and can be supplemented with a Cheese Board for surveillance and tracking.
3. Apart from this, there are support vehicles to store, transport, and reload missiles; site survey vehicles, engineering equipment; electronic sensing measures (ESM) equipment; power generation stations; and other gear.
4. The radars, operator cabins, and command posts are all connected to each other via secure datalink. The battle management system automates all routine functions like assessing targets, deconflicting data, building and presenting a tactical picture of the airspace, and so on. Human input is generally limited to command-and-control functions.
5. The entire setup is road-mobile and its components can be packed up for relocation within minutes. It can also be airlifted and redeployed across the length and breadth of the country on short notice.

• Geopolitical aspects: The US is India's largest arms supplier after Russia. US firms have sold India over $10 billion worth of military hardware, mainly aircraft, over the last decade. The IAF operates frontline US aircraft like the C-17 Globemaster, the C-130-J Super Hercules and will soon receive Apache helicopter gunships and Chinook transport helicopters.

1. A key worry among US policymakers is that radar signatures and transmission frequencies of their aircraft being exposed to the S-400 missile system and used by Russia to counter them in other potential conflict zones.
2. India is believed to be working on ways to assuage these concerns. Apart from the game changer it is perceived to be, the IAF sees the S-400 'Triumf' as an absolute necessity and part of its offensive-defence strategy of maintaining a credible deterrence along two fronts with China and Pakistan.

• Summary: Initially USA discouraged India to purchase S-400 missile system from Russia but then in July 2018, the US senate passed a bill allowing India (as an exemption) to buy the Russian weapon system without the threat of US sanctions. Still, the risk remained but India was firm.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the technical qualities of the S-400 defence system. Why are US and India at an impasse in this regard? (2) What is the S-400 deal? Which nations in the world have purchased this system?

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