India may soon strengthen its air defence. According to media reports, New Delhi is negotiating with Moscow to finalise a $4 billion deal for the advanced Voronezh long-range radar system. The radar can strongly boost India's air defence and missile detection capabilities.

The development takes place in the context of Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh's three-day visit to Russia which concluded on December 10. The Voronezh long-range early warning radar is part of a series built by Russia’s Almaz-Antey Corporation. It has a range of up to 8,000 kilometres and can track over 500 objects at once. This radar system can detect ballistic missiles and even stealth aircraft. Russia has been using it since 2012, replacing older Soviet-era radar systems.

“Currently, it is being upgraded with new components that can operate across various frequency bands, from metre to centimetre wavelengths, allowing military experts to track targets of various sizes in air and near-space environments, calculate their distances and determine their potential for interception if necessary,” Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis (BVPA), told Sputnik India. Russia has improved its early warning and missile defence capabilities by deploying at least ten Voronezh radar systems. According to reports, India is considering purchasing Russia's Voronezh radar system.

India Today reports that talks between a group from Almaz-Antey and Indian defence officials are at a more advanced level. According to The Sunday Guardian, a 10-member team from the Russian firm, headed by Deputy Chairman Vladimir Medovnikov, travelled to India last month, visiting cities including Bengaluru and Delhi, to meet with offset partners involved in the project. According to the publication, in keeping with the Make in India campaign, at least 60% of the system will be produced by Indian partners. The newspaper was informed by sources that, in keeping with the Make in India campaign, at least 60% of the system will be produced by Indian partners.

The Voronezh radar system will strengthen India's air defence. It is part of the country's efforts to update its air defence systems in response to increasing security threats in the region. This early warning system will help India detect air threats from China, South and Central Asia, and much of the Indian Ocean region, as reported by NDTV. Mikhailov from BVPA told Sputnik India that the radar would be crucial for missile warning operations. “When a satellite detects a launch, it alerts the Voronezh radar, which then confirms or refutes the threat. The key role of these radar systems is to verify the presence of a threat, such as a mass launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and provide crucial information for interception,” he explained. 

The system collaborates with Russia’s satellites to detect ballistic missile launches. Former Indian Air Force (IAF) Vice Chief, retired Air Marshal Anil Khosla, told Sputnik India that, with growing missile threats from India's adversaries, having an advanced early warning system is essential to ensure strategic stability. “In South Asia, India faces growing security challenges, including the potential deployment of advanced missile systems by neighbouring countries. An advanced radar like Voronezh would enable India to maintain technological parity and address evolving threats,” he said. India's space program may benefit greatly from the radar's multipurpose capacity, which includes space monitoring. “The radar’s ability to monitor terrestrial, space objects and debris fits well with India’s civil and military objectives, including its burgeoning space programme under ISRO [Indian Space Research Organisation] ,” Khosla said. India will become one of the few countries to have radar systems that can reach more than 5,000 kilometres in length.