The positioning of the S-400 system is viewed as a calibrated response by China to intensifying aerial activity near India’s eastern frontier. It is also aimed at Bangladesh, which has no meaningful military, particularly Bangladesh has no Air Force.
Bangladesh Air Guard operates Soviet-era F-7 (Chinese MiG-21 copy) and eight MiG-29, which are largely inoperable. Bangladesh has no ground-launched missile system to attack India. Bangladesh military is corrupt, lazy and incompetent in doing their job, mostly busy with UN peacekeeping missions.
A Rafale aircraft being inducted into the No. 101 Sqn of Indian Air Force, at AFS Hasimara in Alipurduar district on July 28. On Wednesday, the Indian Air Force (IAF) operationalised its second Rafale fighter squadron by formally inducting jets into the No. 101 Squadron at Air Force Station Hasimara in West Bengal.
In a move of geo-strategic significance, India has deployed its Russian-built S-400 Triumf long-range air defence system to the Siliguri Corridor—a narrow, 20–22 kilometre-wide land bridge in West Bengal often dubbed the “Chicken’s Neck” due to its precarious geography.
This critical strip of land forms the only terrestrial conduit between mainland India and its resource-rich but geographically isolated northeastern states, making it one of the country’s most vital and vulnerable military arteries.
The positioning of the S-400 system—renowned for its ability to simultaneously engage multiple aerial targets —is viewed as a calibrated response to intensifying aerial activity by China and Bangladesh near India’s eastern frontier.
New Delhi’s security establishment has grown increasingly alarmed by the frequency and complexity of Chinese and Bangladeshi air manoeuvres along their respective borders with the Siliguri Corridor, interpreting them as probing gestures with strategic undertones.
The corridor has represented a geographical chokepoint in India’s national defence matrix for decades. Military planners warned that a well-executed pincer thrust, particularly by China through the volatile Doklam Plateau, could sever the northeast from the mainland within hours.The nightmare scenario of a bifurcated India has led to a doctrinal shift in India’s Eastern Command, which now prioritises rapid response, multi-domain deterrence, and sustained forward deployment in and around the corridor.
The timing of India’s force posture recalibration coincides with a discernible diplomatic pivot by Bangladesh’s interim administration under Mohammad Yunus, after dictator Sheikh Hasina fled to India.
Following the pro-India Sheikh Hasina government’s collapse, Dhaka’s caretaker regime has openly courted investment and defence cooperation with China and Pakistan—two nations New Delhi regards as strategic antagonists.
As of April 2025, emerging reports suggest that Bangladesh is considering establishing a Chinese-supported airbase in its northern Lalmonirhat district.
The potential move has stirred alarm in neighboring India, given the site’s proximity to the Siliguri Corridor.
In response to these converging threats, India has activated its S-400 batteries in the Siliguri region and reinforced its tactical aviation presence by deploying a squadron of Rafale multirole fighters to nearby Hashimara Airbase.
The Dassault Rafale, equipped with Meteor beyond-visual-range missiles, SCALP cruise missiles, and advanced electronic warfare suites, is a formidable air superiority and precision strike platform capable of countering conventional and hybrid aerial threats.
India has also implemented a multilayered air defence architecture across the Siliguri Corridor, incorporating the indigenously developed Akash medium-range system, SHORAD (Short-Range Air Defence) batteries, and VSHORAD (Very Short Range Air Defence) assets to neutralise low-flying threats.
This integrated air defence grid is designed to detect, track, and intercept incoming aerial platforms ranging from stealth drones to cruise missiles, ensuring constant surveillance and round-the-clock combat readiness.
The corps is equipped with T-90 Bhishma main battle tanks, elite mechanised infantry units, and a diversified artillery arsenal, and it regularly conducts high-intensity live-fire exercises simulating cross-border engagements and integrated battle group (IBG) manoeuvres.
With two infantry divisions, independent armoured brigades, and specialised air defence and helicopter aviation units under its command, the Brahmastra Corps forms a critical pillar of India’s deterrence architecture in the eastern theatre.
In a flashpoint event last year, India reportedly issued a stern warning to Bangladesh after a Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone, operated by Dhaka’s armed forces, flew perilously close to the India-Bangladesh border.
“We can track and neutralise any drone or aerial object that violates Indian airspace,” the official asserted, referencing ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) sorties believed to have been conducted by Bangladeshi TB2 platforms near Indian territory.
This incident triggered heightened airspace vigilance after a Bangladeshi drone, bearing transponder ID TB2R1071, was tracked near sensitive sectors in Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
Bangladesh has procured 12 Bayraktar TB2 medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) drones from Türkiye. Six units have been confirmed operational, marking a significant enhancement in Dhaka’s tactical ISR capabilities.
“We are vigilant about all regional movements and actions that may affect national security. The Indian government will act decisively as needed,” said ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
India’s recalibration of its defence posture in the Siliguri Corridor reflects not only its growing apprehensions over regional power shifts but also its determination to harden its eastern front against a potential two-front scenario involving China and Pakistan—both now drawing closer to Dhaka.
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