For now, the Russians are happy to have managed to sell five S-400 "Triumrf" anti-aircraft batteries to India for $ 5.43 billion. Rumours are rife that Russia has taken the initiative and try to emphasise how good and modern their anti-aircraft systems are. Particular emphasis is placed on its self-propelled rocket artillery anti-aircraft Pantsir-S complex, an advanced air defence system similar to the Israeli Sypder System, reports a Bulgarian defence website.

According to the Russians, the issue of signing the contract for the purchase of the latest version of Pantsir-S sets was also discussed during defence minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Moscow at the end of June this year. The Russians particularly showcased the positive combat experiences that this system gained during operations in the Middle East.

Particularly useful for the Indian armed forces would be the ability of the system to target short and long range unmanned aerial vehicles. The Russians believe that operations in Syria have confirmed the effectiveness of the Pantsir-S kits in this area, and the imperfections noted during actual combat complex with "full technical adaptations to Indian needs and creation of an effective service network". This network would be connected to the global system of users of Pantsir-S. An additional incentive for India is provision to transfer technology for the production of some system components. However, there is no talk of transferring technology to manufacture the entire system locally.

India's MoD supposedly showed great interest to assess the Pantsir-S system, due to its high mobility and versatility and its ability to target various aerial targets with relative success. In addition, Pantsir-S can be easily integrated into a broader air defence network and can work together with S-400 batteries that the India procured earlier.

However, it should be noted that India now has a variety of Soviet era and more modern versions of air defence systems sourced from Israel and Russia itself. The procurement of USA's National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System NASAMS-II system is on the anvil, though there were reports that India may have shelved the project. DRDO is also in the process of qualifying an indigenous Quick-Reaction and Long-Range missile system. Therefore, one wonders the prudence behind adding one more system to the already assorted kitty.

Russians are also taking advantage of the current situation in India. It is not without reason that, for example, Pantsir-S would be useful in the Ladakh region , where territorial disputes have been going on between India and China for years, and where there has recently been a clash between Chinese and Indian soldiers.