PM’s Adampur Visit Meant to Counter PAF Narrative, but Missing Elements Raise Eyebrows
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently posed in front of an S-400 missile launcher during his visit to the Adampur airbase on Tuesday. Indian media portrayed this as a direct rebuttal to Pakistan’s claim that it had disabled two S-400 systems during Operation Bunyanum Marsoos.
However, rather than dispelling doubts, the photo-op may have inadvertently reinforced Pakistan’s narrative—largely due to what was conspicuously absent from the image.
Christopher Clary, a US-based expert on South Asian affairs, noted in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that while no definitive proof yet supports Pakistan’s claim, it would make strategic sense for Pakistan to target the system’s command centre or radar—rather than just the launchers.
In a follow-up post, Clary shared images from the Ukraine conflict showing a destroyed S-400 command and control centre, along with two radar vehicles typically associated with the system.
The S-400 Triumph—designated the SA-21 Growler by NATO—is a Russian-made long-range air defense system developed by Almaz-Antey. It is engineered to detect and intercept aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic threats, according to an explainer by the TRT World Research Centre.
A 2021 study published in the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, titled India’s Acquisition of the S-400 Air Defence System, explains that each S-400 unit includes two batteries. Each battery is composed of a command-and-control unit, a surveillance radar, an engagement radar, and four transporter–erector–launcher (TEL) vehicles.
