A naval version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired from an indigenously built stealth destroyer of the Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea, Oct 18, 2020

The Indian military tested at least seven new types of missiles in December 2021. Indian media believes that New Delhi may purchase advanced weapons from the United States to deter the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Pakistan military development.

On December 23, 2021, the Indian Ministry of National Defence announced that it had successfully tested an Ultra Long Range Anti-Submarine Missile (SMART) system. Earlier, India successfully tested the Agni-P missile. This is a new generation ballistic missile that can carry a nuclear warhead, with a maximum range of up to 2000 km. In addition, India has successfully tested the BrahMos air-launched cruise missile.

On December 20, 2021, India’s Economic Times reported that the Indian Air Force had deployed its first S-400 air defence missile system in the Punjab region. An Indian government source said, “This will be able to deal with air threats from Pakistan and China.”

In early December, two of the five Russian S-400 air defence missile systems arrived in India. Before that, the Indian Air Force sent people to Russia to learn how to operate the S-400 system.

Also, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Indian Foreign Minister announced that Russia had begun to deliver long-range surface-to-air missile systems. The statement was made shortly after Russian President Putin visited India.

Starting in 2022, India will deploy S-400 air defence systems in India’s northern and eastern border areas to deter the CCP’s military.

Eric Garcetti, the U.S. Ambassador to India, recently said that he will take over as India chief at the US embassy as the U.S. battles China on several fronts especially in the Indo-Pacific.

During the confirmation hearing, Garcetti emphasised he will push for the “diversification” of India’s weapons system as the country gets set to acquire the Russian S-400 missile defence system.

Since 2016, defence cooperation between India and the United States has grown significantly. India has also purchased weapons systems from the United States and many more transactions are still in progress.