New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Friday hailed the S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile system as a "game-changer" in Operation Sindoor, saying Pakistan was hit "nice and hard" after it escalated and that the system's long-range radars and missiles denied the enemy freedom to operate even inside its own territory.

Speaking at the Annual General Meeting of the Air Force Association, Singh said the S-400's capabilities allowed Indian forces to keep adversary aircraft well short of weapon-release range. He said, "Long range-SAM (LR-SAM) that we had bought, S-400, they turned out to be a game changer in this. Their long-range radars and missile systems could threaten the enemy aircraft we...