'Very capable system, accuracy is high': Ex-Air Marshal Shirish Baban Deo praises S-400 missile system

Former Air Marshal Shirish Baban Deo commends the IAF's successful use of the S-400 missile system to neutralize Pakistani targets. He highlighted the system's accuracy and effectiveness against ballistic missiles.

The former Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Shirish Baban Deo (Retd) on Thursday praised the Indian Air Force's (IAF) recent use of the S-400 Sudarshan Chakra missile system, which was used last night to stop targets moving toward India. Shirish Baban Deo added that the S-400's accuracy is very high, and it can even take down medium-range ballistic missiles.

While speaking to ANI, Shirish Baban Deo said, “It is a very capable system, perhaps the most potent system in the world. It's an entire system with three types of radars and three types of missiles, each optimised for specific targets, from low-RCS to high-speed threats. Its single-shot kill probability is extremely high, and it's accurate and effective even against medium-range ballistic missiles.”

About the Harpy drone, he said, "Additionally, we have drones like the Harpy, which are anti-radiation drones equipped with seekers that detect active radars. Once a radar is switched on, the drone homes in on it and destroys it, even if the radar is later turned off. These drones can loiter in the area for 10 to 12 hours and have a video link, allowing operators to monitor their movement and strike precisely when needed. Overall, this makes the system extremely effective in neutralising enemy air defences." 

Deo criticised Pakistan's military leadership, calling it corrupt and radicalised.  "The bigger picture here is that Pakistan, unlike a normal country, has a radicalised and corrupt leadership, which weakens the army's professional potential. India's strategy needs to be a whole-of-nation approach, not just the Army's responsibility, as the challenge involves military as well as internal security threats," Deo added. 

He also said there could be sleeper cells activated and said, “We must all stay alert because activating sleeper cells is the last option left for them.” 

After India executed Operation Sindoor in which nine terror sites deep inside Pakistan were destroyed, the Pakistan brass responded in Panic. Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets on the night of May 7. One of those was the Military installations in Amritsar, all the attempts were neutralised.

The military targets were engaged in Northern and Western India, including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles. These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks.