How Modi Resisted Pressure To Get S400 And Rafale Indias Ace Weapons Against Pakistan

The Russian S-400 system and the Rafale Jets with SCALP Missiles — these twin weapons have proved to be the aces for India in Operation Sindoor and in the ongoing conflict with Pakistan. The Narendra Modi government got them into India’s arsenal a few years ago, resisting and fighting pressure from outside and inside. As India successfully thwarted a massive attack by the Pakistan armed forces using drones and other munitions on the intervening night of May 8 and 9, the importance of the S-400 air defence system was yet again proved. Not a single projectile fired by Pakistan could land on target as the S-400 defence system along with the Akash defence system effectively repulsed each attack. The munitions were fired at multiple locations, from Srinagar, Jammu City to Jaisalmer. The Modi government had to fight a lot of pressure exerted by the US when India decided to procure the S-400 defence system since 2018 in a $5 billion deal with Russia. The US, three years ago, had publicly said it was “discouraging" India from going ahead with acquiring S-400 from Russia. Both the previous Donald Trump administration as well as the Joe Biden administration were against India getting the S-400. The former Trump administration had even threatened sanctions. But India under Modi knew how crucial the S-400 was to strengthen our air defence systems against Pakistan as well as China. Three squadrons of the S-400 have arrived and been deployed since, with more expected to be delivered this year. It is the world’s premier long-range air defence weapon, capable of tracking and engaging multiple aerial targets within a range of up to 600 kilometre. Inside the Indian Air Force, it is termed as the ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ which can detect, track, and destroy a wide variety of airborne threats — from fighter aircraft, to UAVs and ballistic missiles. India procured 36 Rafale fighter jets since 2020 from France in a government-to-government deal, which significantly enhanced the air prowess of India, giving it an edge over the the US made F-16 fighter jets with Pakistan. India is said to have used the Rafale jets fitted with SCALP missiles to target Bahawalpur, almost 100 km deep inside Pakistan territory. And, this was without Rafale even having to cross the border, given its long-range strike capability. But the Congress party had mounted a huge political offensive against the Modi government for going ahead with the Rafale purchase in the manner it did, with Rahul Gandhi even terming it a scam during the 2019 general elections. However, Modi government did not budge citing national security. The Supreme Court threw out the legal challenges made to the deal, finding no irregularities in the decision-making process or the pricing of the Rafale fighter jets. It was a big thumbs-up. The strike by Rafale at Bahawalpur, the headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammand (JeM), led to almost the entire family of most-wanted terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar being wiped out. Among the dead is also the most wanted and the de-facto head of the Jaish, Abdul Rauf Azhar, the brother of Maulana Masood Azhar, and the mastermind of the IC-814 hijacking.