The Sudarshan Chakra in Hindu mythology is Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna's divine weapon, which is known for its stellar precision and speed. However, this mythological weapon is also known for two other things, which are its ability to protect and tackle enemies even from a distance. These are the principles based on which the Indian Army nicknamed the Indian Air Force's S-400, 'Sudarshan Chakra.' The S-400 'Sudarshan Chakra' is an air defence missile system that was first put to use on the night of May 7-8 to intercept and shoot down imminent aerial threats coming in from Pakistan.
The Indian government on Thursday publicly put out a statement where they mentioned that they had successfully been able to neutralize a Pakistani air defence system after having tackled drones and missiles, which targeted different sites in northern and western parts of India.
In the statement, the Indian Army mentioned, "On the night of 07-08 May 2025, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets 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."
They further added, "Today morning Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised."
As per the Indian Ministry of Defence, the threats were successfully neutralised with the help of the Integrated Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) grid and other air-defence systems. However, it was the Indian Air Force's S-400 Sudarshan Chakra that played a pivotal role in tackling these incoming threats.
What is the S-400 Sudarshan Chakra?
The S-400 Sudarshan Chakra is considered one of the world's most technologically advanced air-defence systems that has the ability to cover a longer range. Built by Russia's Almaz-Antey, this system can not only easily detect and destroy any kind of incoming aerial threat but can also track these threats. From drones, aircraft, missiles, to ballistic missiles, the S-400 has been designed to recognise any form of aerial threat. What makes it an important machine in terms of defence is that it can function at any altitude.
One of its major features is also that it has a multi-target engagement system, which allows it to engage with 36 targets simultaneously. The S-400 is also equipped to detect and retaliate against threats beyond 250 miles and hence is a useful machinery to be put to use for long-range threats. According to several reports, the activation for it takes close to five minutes.
This system can gauge and target aerial threats from within 0- 30 km and can also intercept moving objects that are at the speed of 4.8 km per second. It is this very feature that makes the system extremely precise in terms of targeting extremely fast-moving threats. The S-400 is always kept in an ascending position on mobile launchers and is easier to reposition and simpler to deploy.
Currently, as per reports, there are three operational S-400 systems in India.
