India's S-400 system destroyed — how big a blow is it for New Delhi?

The Pakistan Army successfully destroyed an Indian S-400 air defence system in Adampur during a broader military operation named Bunyan-um-Marsoos in response to New Delhi's missile strikes on Pakistan earlier on Saturday.

According to security sources, the $1.5 billion system, was targeted and destroyed using hypersonic missiles launched from JF-17 Thunder aircraft.

The S-400, a Russian-made missile defence system, is considered one of the most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems globally.

According to NDTV, this system is designed to intercept a variety of aerial threats, including aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.

This air defence system comprises three components — missile launchers, a powerful radar, and a command centre — and is capable of engaging aircraft, cruise missiles, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

Additionally, the S-400 air defence system can target up to 600 kilometres away and engage almost all modern warplanes.

In October 2018, India signed a $5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, which are viewed as a major threat by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) due to their long-range capabilities.

The destruction of the air defence system came as part of Pakistan's broader military operation that was launched in response to Indian missile strikes on multiple air bases.

Pakistan's Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos was launched on Saturday following days of continuous missiles being launched from India. Most of these missiles were intercepted by the Pakistan Air Force in the air.