Has Pakistan Destroyed India's S-400 Air Defense System at Adampur?

[Riaz Haq]

Pakistan claims its air force (PAF) has destroyed India's high-value Russian-made S-400 air defense system (ADS) located at the Indian Air Force (IAF) Adampur air base. India has rejected this claim and posted pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi posing in front of its S-400 rocket launchers in Adampur.  Meanwhile, there are reports that an Indian S-400 operator, named Rambabu Kumar Singh, was killed at about the time Pakistan claims to have hit it. Pakistan is believed to have targeted the S-400 systems using precision-guided CM-400AKG hypersonic missiles (max range 250 kilometers) launched from its JF-17 fighter aircraft.

How can an independent observer decipher the truth in the midst of these claims and counterclaims? To do that, one must first understand what constitutes the S-400 ADS. Is it just the rocket launchers? Or does it have other critical components like the radar and command-and-control systems? Could it be that the Pakistanis left the launchers alone and targeted and destroyed the radar and the command and control systems? Is that why the system operator was killed? 

Russia's S-400 Air Defense System. Source: BBC

What is Russia's S-400 ADS? 

The S-400 air defense system is designed to provide a layered defense with varying range capabilities. Its primary missiles, the 40N6, have a range of 400 kilometers (250 miles), while the 48N6E3 missiles offer a range of 250 kilometers (160 miles). The S-400 can also engage targets at shorter ranges using the 9M96E and 9M96E2 missiles, with ranges of 40 and 120 kilometers (25 and 75 miles), respectively. The S-400 consists of multiple components. Here's how it works. 

1. Long-range surveillance radar tracks objects and relays information to the command vehicle, which assesses potential targets.

2. Target is identified and the command vehicle orders missile launch.

3. Launch data is sent to the best placed launch vehicle and it releases surface-to-air missiles.

4. Engagement radar helps guide missiles towards the target.

The entire system is rendered useless if any of these components are damaged or destroyed. 

Death of an S-400 Operator: 

Indian news outlet First Bihar reported the death of an Indian soldier operating the S-400 Air Defense System in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir at Adampur Airbase on May 10, 2025.  This report was later deleted under pressure from the Indian government, in the same manner as The Hindu newspaper was forced to remove its story about the Indian Air Force's loss of French-made Rafale fighter jets in the aerial battle with the Pakistan Air Force. 

India's NDTV Report:

Indian journalist Vishnu Som has confirmed in conversation with Shiv Aroor on NDTV that  two near-hypersonic missiles fired from a JF-17 jet targeted Adampur Airbase. One of the missiles reportedly missed, while the outcome of the second is unclear. Aroor added that certain sensitive details about the incident could not be publicly disclosed.

If indeed Vishnu Som's confirmation is accurate, then the question arises as to how did a JF-17 armed with CM-400AKG hypersonic missiles (max range 250 kilometers) gain access to the S-400 system which has anti-access/area denial (A2AD) capabilities? The S-400's long range and ability to engage various aerial threats, including ballistic and cruise missiles, allows it to create a large area where enemy aircraft and missiles are denied access or freedom of operation. 

Summary:

While there has been no official confirmation of the loss at Adampur, there is considerable circumstantial evidence to suggest that the Pakistan Air Force's fighter jets damaged a Russian-supplied S-400 ADS system operated by the Indian military.  This is not the first time a Russian-made S-400 air defense system has been damaged or destroyed. Ukraine destroyed one in Crimea last year.  Apparently the S-400 has known vulnerabilities that could have been exploited by both Ukraine and Pakistan.

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[Riaz Haq]

Pakistan Air Force
@TheRealFalcons5
Pakistan received first one 'J35A Gyrfalcon' (Pakistan Flag coloured).
Test flight successfully conducted in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan together with Chinese Pilots.

https://x.com/TheRealFalcons5/status/1925593329862865339

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Gilgit-Baltistan, May 2025— In a development that has stunned Western observers and forced doctrinal recalibration across South Asia, China and Pakistan have jointly test-flown the first Pakistan-liveried J-35A 'Gyrfalcon' stealth fighter over the Karakoram. The flight was carried out with Chinese and Pakistani pilots aboard, fully integrated with Beidou satellite command, AWACS uplink, and ground-based stealth-tracking denial systems.

But this wasn’t just a test of technology—it was a demonstration of trust. It marked a transformation of Pakistan’s role from a tactical partner to a privileged strategic ally—one now privy to China’s most advanced combat doctrine.

“This isn’t just cooperation. It’s full-spectrum fusion.”
A senior European defense attaché based in Islamabad told us on background:

“We knew the J-35 would be exported. But we didn’t expect Pakistani pilots to be inside the cockpit before full PLAAF deployment. That’s unprecedented. This isn’t just cooperation. It’s full-spectrum fusion.”

According to multiple military observers, the J-35A flights over Gilgit-Baltistan were not simulations.

They were high-fidelity integration drills, including:

Real-time radar suppression exercises
Satellite-guided targeting against virtual enemy airframes
Live interception of AWACS and low-observable drone targets
Simulated Rafale/Meteor scenario tracking
These were not “orientation flights.”
They were doctrinal rehearsals.

A Stealth Jet—and a Strategic Message

A former Indian Air Marshal, speaking anonymously to a UK-based defense publication, admitted:

“If Chinese and Pakistani pilots are flying J-35As in combat configurations, it fundamentally changes the balance. The Rafale edge we built is gone. Stealth has reached our borders.”

The J-35A is China’s answer to the F-35, and the fact that it’s being tested in Pakistani airspace under joint command is a clear message to both India and the West:
China trusts no one more than Pakistan with its crown jewel.

Why This Is a Strategic First

While Russia has exported Su-35s and is co-developing Su-75, it has not integrated any ally into its core fifth-gen doctrine. Nor has the U.S. allowed any non-NATO state full access to F-35 flight protocols.

China just did.

According to a Chinese defense analyst quoted in Global Times:

“Pakistan is not just a customer. It is a doctrinal partner. The J-35’s deployment tests reflect the maturing of a joint deterrence framework.”

What Does This Mean for the Region?

India's Rafale-Meteor doctrine is now under question.
The assumption of BVR superiority is neutralized by PL-15E range parity and J-35’s radar evasion.
China has field-tested integrated battle cloud architecture in South Asia.

This means AWACS, satellites, and stealth jets in unified command, with Pakistani coordination.
CPEC is no longer just a road—it’s a shield.
With Gilgit-Baltistan becoming an aerial bastion, Chinese stealth can now dominate the Siachen-Galwan axis if needed.

“We’re Inside the System Now” A retired PAF Air Commodore, familiar with the test protocols, put it bluntly:

“This isn’t just about receiving jets. It’s about being inside the operating system. We’re no longer flying Chinese jets—we’re flying with China, in China’s future.”

With the J-35A, Pakistan hasn’t just closed the gap.
It has entered the command structure of the next global aerial paradigm.

The friendship is over.
What exists now is strategic fusion.

[Riaz Haq]

Zephyrus
@The_SharkSlayer
Silencing The Growler...

NATO called it the "SA21 Growler"
At Adampur AFS, India stationed its pride: the S-400 Triumph.
The chilling hum of radar swept skies over Northern Punjab.
Standing tall seeing everything that flew within 600kms.
PAF knew they had to blind it.

https://x.com/The_SharkSlayer/status/1926147457961865449

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Zephyrus
@The_SharkSlayer
Mission: Silencing the Growl
Date: 10th May 2025
Rafiqui Air Force Base
Target: Sensors of the S400 Battery at Adampur
Aircraft: 2x JF17 B2
Loadout: 2x CM400AKG, 2xPL5E
Flight Profile: LOW-HIGH-LOW
Objective: Blind the S400 at Adampur for consequent low level strikes.
(2/N)

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Zephyrus
@The_SharkSlayer
In the days leading up to the strike, a solitary DA20 Falcon slipped into the sky from Mushaf Air Force Base, hugging the border in silence. It wasn’t just flying; it was listening. Harvesting signals, dissecting radar emissions, peeling back the electronic curtain of the enemy’s air defense grid.

But the groundwork had been laid even earlier. In 2024, during Exercise Indus Shield-C, the PLAAF had quietly brought in their own S-400s. Not just to show off; but to simulate, to study, to rehearse.

The chessboard had been set long before the first move.

(3/N)

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Zephyrus
@The_SharkSlayer
In the early hours of May 10th, JF-17s lifted off under EMCON, flying low and fast. Briefly punching up to 40,000 ft inside Pakistani airspace, they released CM-400AKGs at optimal envelope. ECMs active, they dropped back to terrain-hugging altitude and RTB’d undetected.

(4/N)

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Zephyrus
@The_SharkSlayer
The CM-400AKGs soared high, grazing near-space before tipping into a Mach 4 terminal dive. Their passive seekers homed in on the 96L6E’s emissions Cheeseboard lit like a beacon. The S-400’s batteries came alive, but ECM fog blanketed the battlespace. Too slow. Too late.
(5/N)

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Zephyrus
@The_SharkSlayer
There was no dogfight.
No radar jamming dance.
Just raw, long-arm power projection.

The Block IIs turn south, ECM pods chirping, mission complete.

The message?
You don’t need a 5th-gen fleet to break 5th-gen bubbles.
What you need is the will to strike first, and the reach to make it hurt.

(6/N)

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Zephyrus
@The_SharkSlayer
Adampur's Growl was silenced,
Giving PAF a corridor to operate if need be to target New Delhi.
Silencing the Growl wasn’t just about a radar.
It was about removing illusions.
Pakistan doesn’t seek escalation.
But it will rewrite the rules of engagement if needed.
Swiftly. Surgically.
At Mach 4.