Karachi:
India’s Prime Minister Modi stood in front of an S-400 miss cast during a visit to Adampur Airbase on Tuesday, a step Indian media framed as a “fact control” of Pakistan’s claim that it had neutralized two of the advanced systems during Operation Bunyanum Marsoos.
But photo-up may have inadvertently borrowed weight to Pakistan’s claim-net top because of what was missing from the picture.
In a post of x [formerly Twitter]US-based South Asia expert Christopher Clary noted that although there is still no concrete evidence of Pakistani success against the S-400, Pakistan would be “at least as likely, if not more likely to target commanding or radar than they are the launch” of the air defense system.
“Maybe these systems are on other photos,” Posted Clary. In a subsequent post, he shared photos of an S-400 command and control center destroyed in the Ukraine War along with two radar vehicles that are often paired with the system.
According to a TRT World Research Center explorer, the S-400 system is designed to detect and destroy aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. A 2021 research document published in the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs says each S-400 system includes two batteries.
Each battery includes a command-and-control device, a surveillance radar, an engagement radar and four launch cars referred to as “Transporter-Post-Launchers.” According to TRT World, a full battalion consists of eight lifting rockets, each of which is able to carry four missiles
The S-400 has a range of 250 to 400 kilometers, depending on the missile type, and can target items at heights up to 30 kilometers. The system primarily uses the 48N6 missile series, which can intercept air targets up to 250 kilometers away and ballistic missiles within a 60 kilometer radius.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Pakistani military said it had successfully destroyed an Indian S-400 battery stationed at Adampur Air Force station in Punjab’s Jalandhar district, using precision-controlled hypersonic missiles launched from a JF-17 platform.
