S-400 vs Project Kusha: Why India Wants More Russian Air Defence Despite Atmanirbharta

India is pushing Atmanirbharta in defence, but Russia has made a fresh pitch for five additional S-400 air-defence squadrons in a deal reportedly worth around ₹50,000 crore.The proposal comes months after India cleared plans to procure five more S-400 squadrons following Operation Sindoor, where the Russian-origin system played an important role in India’s layered air-defence network.At the same time, India is developing its own long-range air-defence system under Project Kusha, led by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).