S-400 Missile Shield Key to Foiling Pakistan’s Attempted Airstrikes on 15 Indian Cities: Air Marshal Kapoor

Retired Air Marshal highlights the critical role of India’s Russian-made S-400 system in neutralising threats amid escalating tensions and ‘Operation Sindoor’

New Delhi, May 8:
Retired Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor has credited the S-400 air defence missile system for shielding India from a major escalation during recent cross-border hostilities with Pakistan. In a self-recorded video shared Thursday, Kapoor said the S-400 system was instrumental in neutralising Pakistani attempts to strike 15 Indian cities.

“Pakistan tried to attack 15 of our cities, but they were saved by the S-400, which was purchased in 2018 and delivered in 2021,” Kapoor said. He praised the system’s quick deployment, 400 km range, and multi-target tracking capabilities, calling it a “game-changer” in the country’s defence preparedness.

The Indian Air Force’s S-400 Sudarshan Chakra systems were activated on Wednesday night, successfully intercepting multiple aerial threats — including missiles and drones — headed toward strategic Indian locations. The attacks followed Pakistan’s retaliation to India’s precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure under Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that killed 26 civilians.

At the Ministry of External Affairs’ press briefing on Thursday, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi confirmed that India’s Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and Air Defence systems neutralised all incoming threats during the night of May 7-8.

“In response, the Indian Armed Forces targeted Pakistan’s air defence radars and systems at multiple locations Thursday morning. One such system in Lahore has been confirmed neutralised,” Qureshi added.

She reaffirmed India’s position from Wednesday’s briefing, stating the country’s response under Operation Sindoor was focused, measured, and non-escalatory, deliberately avoiding civilian or military installations.

Pakistan’s attempted drone and missile attacks on Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, and other key military locations were intercepted and neutralised, with debris now being collected from various sites to serve as evidence of aggression.

India’s precision retaliation, carried out entirely within a defensive framework, signals a continued commitment to strategic restraint — albeit with an unwavering resolve to defend its sovereignty.