New Delhi: In a significant move towards defence self-reliance, the Ministry of Defence has reportedly selected an Indian company to establish a dedicated maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility for the S-400 Triumf air defence system, one of the most advanced long-range missile platforms in India’s arsenal.
The facility being developed in partnership with Russia’s Almaz-Antey, the original manufacturer of the S-400, is expected to become operational by 2028. Senior defence officials confirmed that the decision, finalised after multiple rounds of capability evaluation and security clearance, is a strategic step towards reducing India’s dependence on foreign technical support for the system.
India’s decision to localise servicing of the S-400 follows its proven performance during Operation Sindoor in May, when the system played a pivotal role in intercepting aerial threats launched from across the western border.
On the night of May 7-8, Pakistan reportedly attempted to strike over 15 Indian military and strategic sites using a combination of drones and missile systems in retaliation to India’s cross-border precision strikes on terror launchpads. The S-400, deployed in multiple regions including Punjab and Rajasthan, was credited with shooting down several incoming threats and safeguarding key assets. The MRO proposal had been under consideration for several months, but the events during Operation Sindoor served as a catalyst, prompting the Ministry of Defence to expedite the selection process.
The upcoming MRO facility will handle diagnostics, repairs, parts replacement and eventually the overhaul of launcher vehicles and radar components. By bringing these services onshore, the facility will drastically cut turnaround times for maintenance and eliminate dependency on overseas technical teams, a challenge India faced amid the Ukraine war and Western sanctions on Russia.
“Operational readiness depends on the ability to keep high-value systems available at all times. With global supply chains under pressure, having an MRO facility here is no longer optional.” In the longer term, officials from the Ministry of Defence said that the facility may expand to produce select spare parts domestically under Russian technical supervision, helping India build indigenous capacity for long-range air defence systems.
India had signed a USD 5.43 billion agreement with Russia in 2018 to procure five squadrons of the S-400 Triumf system. Each squadron includes missile launchers, radar units, and command systems capable of engaging targets at a range of up to 400 km. As of July 2025, India has received and operationalised three of the five squadrons. The remaining two are scheduled for delivery in 2026 and 2027. The delay from the original timeline initially projected to end in 2024 has been attributed to Russia’s ongoing military commitments and global logistical bottlenecks.
The deployed units are stationed in regions with high threat perception, including Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan, forming a critical layer in India’s air defence grid against potential incursions from China and Pakistan.
Following the system’s performance in recent conflict scenarios, India is now weighing the option of acquiring two to three additional S-400 squadrons once the current deliveries are completed.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, in a recent TV interview, confirmed that discussions are ongoing. “Out of the five squadrons ordered, two are still to arrive. Once that is completed, we may look at additional orders depending on threat perception and operational needs,” he said. The possible follow-on orders will be evaluated alongside the performance of the existing systems and the outcome of the local MRO project.
The decision to build an MRO facility marks another step forward in India-Russia defence cooperation, which has endured despite global geopolitical tensions. On the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers’ meet in June, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov held detailed talks on military-technical collaboration, including the S-400 and counter-drone technologies.
Roman Babushkin, Russia’s Deputy Chief of Mission in India, reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment to complete all S-400 deliveries by 2026 and expressed interest in expanding cooperation in air defence. He also hinted at possible talks on the S-500 Prometey, Russia’s newer system capable of intercepting hypersonic and ballistic threats, though no official confirmation has been provided.
The S-400, officially designated Sudarshan Chakra in Indian service, can detect and track up to 300 aerial targets and engage 36 simultaneously. It is equipped with phased-array radars and multiple missile types, providing a layered response to diverse threats such as drones, stealth aircraft, and ballistic missiles.
India has integrated the S-400 with its indigenous Akash surface-to-air missile and Israel’s Barak-8 to form a multi-layered defensive shield across critical regions. The addition of a domestic MRO facility is expected to bolster this setup by keeping the system fully functional even during extended periods of tension.
