Who is Rambabu Kumar Singh? Indian soldier’s death reinforces Pakistan’s S-400 narrative

Amid continued denials from Indian media regarding Pakistan’s assertion that two Indian S-400 air defence systems were neutralised, a report by a regional Indian news outlet has added unexpected weight to Islamabad’s claim.

On Tuesday, First Bihar Jharkhand, an Indian news website, reported the death of an Indian Army official during recent cross-border hostilities with Pakistan. The report identified the slain soldier as Rambabu Kumar Singh and suggested he may have been operating an S-400 system at the time.

“Army jawan Rambabu Kumar Singh, a resident of Bihar’s Siwan district, was killed late Monday evening,” stated a translated excerpt from the original Hindi report.

The outlet, citing Singh’s father-in-law, said that Singh was an S-400 air defence system operator who had reported for duty in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir on April 10. The report added that Singh was killed by Pakistani Army fire around 1:30 PM on Monday.

According to multiple reports based on Pakistani security sources, the Pakistan Army successfully neutralised two Indian S-400 systems during Operation Bunyanum Marsoos. One of the targeted systems was reportedly stationed at the Adampur air base, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited shortly after the incident. The second was believed to be deployed at Udhampur air base in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

During his visit to Adampur, Modi posed for a photograph in front of an S-400 launcher — a moment Indian media framed as a “fact-check” of Pakistan’s claim.

However, “the image may have inadvertently supported Pakistan’s narrative, primarily because of what it failed to show.”

Experts have pointed out that a typical S-400 battery includes several components such as multiple missile launchers, a surveillance radar, an engagement radar, and a command-and-control unit. If Pakistan’s strike did succeed, it’s likely they aimed at high-value modules such as the radar or command units rather than just the visible launchers.

The strike is believed to have been carried out using CM-400AKG hypersonic missiles launched from JF-17 fighter jets. These missiles are guided using a combination of inertial and satellite navigation, and are thought to be equipped with a passive radar seeker for terminal guidance.

“Passive radar homing is a missile guidance method that enables a missile to detect and track a target without emitting its own radar signal.”

“Unlike active radar homing, which relies on the missile sending out signals and receiving their reflections, passive radar homing uses a built-in receiver to detect radio frequency emissions.”

“These signals can originate from the target itself — such as radar, communications, or other electronic emissions — or from an external transmitter associated with the target.”

“This allows the missile to home in on the target covertly, without alerting it to the missile’s presence.”

With Indian officials yet to comment directly on Singh’s reported role or the alleged S-400 strikes, the regional news report has amplified the growing debate surrounding the true extent of Pakistan’s successful precision strikes.