The deadly combination of S400 – Kusha I – S500 – Kusha II

S-500 is “a strategic defensive asset of Russia and its export demands permission of the top national leadership,” the portal said.

India has successfully employed the two Regiments of Russian S-400 Triumph air defence systems (the third Regiment is deployed in North East) in the operation during the recent Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in combination with its indigenous Systems.

India had purchased S-400 systems worth 5.43 billion dollars. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the system and said the air defense was the main factor in the operation against Pakistan.

Here one must remember the the initial advice from USA to India to desist from buying the S400 from Russia. These soon began turning into warnings and then outright threats followed by begging and culminating into whimperings of the then USA administration/politicians/legislatures and even the President. Western military experts and analysts had said that S400 was way inferior to American systems like THAAD etc.

The delivery of balance of the two regiments is likely to be completed by end 2026 or early 2027. By that time our air defence system is likely to be fully complemented by our own equivalent system KUSHA 1 and then soon becoming the mainstay in next few years. Thereafter in 2030s will come the deployment of KUSHA 2 a more advanced system.

Meanwhile it is said that as a gap filler, India is now eyeing the latest S-500 Prometei systems. S-400 proved effective in combat conditions and intercepted targets at record distances. No wonder now Indian experts are talking of the acquisition of S-500. India is interested in it also due to the changing situation in the region on the background of reports about deployment of Chinese stealth fighters not only in Chinese Occupied Tibet but also the same being supplied to Pakistan. China, also possesses a significant numbers of hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs), short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs), air-launched ballistic missiles (ALBMs), and also operates the S-400 system.

S-500 is a strategic defensive asset of Russia but it is not for export. However due to long-standing and trustworthy cooperation between Russia and India in the defense sphere, the same may be sold to India.
S-500 of Almaz-Antey also known as Prometheus or Triumfator-M, destroys all existing and prospective aerospace targets in the whole range of altitudes and speeds. This system is specifically designed to intercept and destroy hypersonic cruise missiles, HGVs, stealth aircraft, and even low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Its advanced radar and missile technology enables it to engage targets traveling at speeds up to Mach 7 and at altitudes up to 200 kilometers, ahead of our Kusha 1 System.

S 500 has an operational range of up to 600 kilometers for ballistic targets and 500 kilometers for air defence. Thus the S-500 can provide a wide protective umbrella over critical national assets, including nuclear facilities and space infrastructure. A single integrated platform can engage a diverse array of threats—from fighter jets and UAVs to ballistic and hypersonic missiles, and even satellites thuscombining the role of Surface to Air Missile and Anti Ballistic Missile systems.

The system can detect and engage up to 10 ballistic hypersonic targets simultaneously, with a response time of less than four seconds, ensuring swift and effective neutralisation of multiple incoming threats.

The S-500 is equipped with the 77N6-N and 77N6-N1 kinetic interceptors, which can engage hypersonic missiles and glide vehicles travelling at speeds up to 7 kilometres per second (Mach 19). This allows the S-500 to intercept and neutralise hypersonic targets before they enter Indian airspace, providing a critical layer of defence against any missile arsenals.

The S-500 can react within three to four seconds, significantly faster than the S-400’s nine to ten seconds, which is vital for intercepting fast-moving hypersonic threats.

India’s ongoing indigenous projects—such as Project Kusha 2 and Kusha3 (potentially superior to S500), and the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) Phase 2 and 3—would create a robust, layered missile shield. This synergy would maximize coverage against a spectrum of threats, from tactical to strategic.

It is learnt that Russia may offer India the opportunity for joint production of the S-500, which would not only facilitate technology transfer but also deepen defence ties and ensure long-term sustainability of the system within India’s arsenal.

Acquiring the S-500 would provide India a transformational leap for its Kusha 2 and Kusha3 air and missile defence systems, uniquely positioning it to counter the world wide growing hypersonic and missile threat, maintain strategic stability, and secure its critical infrastructure.