India’s Layered Air Defence Explained | S-400, Akash & The Economics of Modern Warfare

China’s growing presence across South Asia and the Indian Ocean is raising fresh strategic concerns for India. Addressing a seminar in Delhi, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said Beijing increasingly views India as a potential threat rather than a partner. He noted that Chinese-backed infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative are creating a network of strategic assets around India’s maritime domain. Ports like Gwadar in Pakistan and Hambantota in Sri Lanka, along with growing Chinese influence in Bangladesh and the Maldives, are reshaping regional dynamics. Dixit also warned that India faces a complex security environment with two nuclear-armed neighbours, China and Pakistan. He called for stronger defence capabilities, greater technological self-reliance and sustained strategic partnerships through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific region.