India considers S-500 air defence system during Russian President Putin's visit on December 3, 2025

Key facts

• The Russian-made S-400 air defence system brought Pakistan to its knees during India's Operation Sindoor earlier this year, shooting down at least six enemy aircraft.
• The IAF called the S-400, a surface-to-air missile system, the 'game-changer' during the three-day hostilities.
• India is eyeing the S-500 Prometheus air shield, described as the S-400's 'bigger, stronger, and smarter brother'.
• Discussions on procuring the advanced S-500 missile defence shield during Russian President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit are very much on the table.
• India is considering the S-500 due to newer threats emerging from both China and Pakistan, which has been on a warmongering spree under army chief Asim Munir.
• The S-500 is manufactured by Russia's Almaz-Antey.
• It is engineered to specifically neutralise advanced ballistic missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles, as well as hypersonic cruise missiles.
• The S-500's ability to engage certain low-orbit satellites or space-launched threats sets it completely apart.
• While the S-400 can shoot down targets up to 400 km away, the S-500 can reach up to 600 km.
• The S-500 can simultaneously counter up to 10 ballistic supersonic terminal ICBM warheads flying at jet speed.
• The S-500 can engage targets at an altitude of 200 km, almost at the edge of space, compared to the S-400's 30 km.
• The system relies on upgraded 40N6M missiles, which are capable of exo-atmospheric interception, shooting down targets more than 100 km above the Earth.
• The S-500 also uses 77N6-N and 77N6-N1 missiles, which have a 'hit-to-kill' approach, destroying incoming threats by ramming straight into them.
• A new generation of radars built on Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology backs these missiles, offering longer range, quicker tracking, and far better jamming resistance than those in the S-400.
• One S-500 air shield unit can include up to a dozen launchers, along with command posts and three high-performance radars.