Operation Sindoor: India demonstrated tech edge by beating Pakistan's Chinese systems
TNN | May 15, 2025, 05.24 PM IST
Operation Sindoor: India demonstrated tech edge by beating Pakistan's Chinese systems
NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday asserted it circumvented Pakistan’s air defence (AD) systems of Chinese-origin to carry out the strikes against the nine terror hubs without crossing the border on May 7, and then thwarted multiple retaliatory missile and drone attacks using a robust indigenous AD network during intense hostilities last week.
“The IAF bypassed and jammed Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied air defence systems (like the HQ-9 missile batteries and radars), completing the mission in just 23 minutes on May 7, demonstrating India’s technological edge,” a new govt statement said.
Despite Pakistan’s attempts to “exploit advanced foreign supplied weaponry”, ranging from Chinese-made PL-15 LR beyond visual range air-to-air missiles to Turkish-origin Byker Yiha kamikaze drones and Asisguard Songar drones, India’s AD and electronic warfare networks “remained superior”, it added.
With PM Narendra Modi having drawn new red lines against Pakistan-backed terrorism, the Indian armed forces are currently on a hot standby, maintaining full operational readiness to foil any misadventure. “We are strictly adhering to the May 10 bilateral understanding to cease all cross-border military action. But Pak Army chief General Asim Munir can never be trusted,” a senior military officer told TOI.
When military hostilities were fully underway for four days last week, the IAF’s fully-automated integrated air command and control system (IACCS) played a critical role during Operation Sindoor. It connects different radars to a wide array of AD weapon systems as well as the Army’s smaller Akashteer system to present a composite real-time air situation picture.
The Army quickly deployed six mobile Akashteer nodes, which it had begun to induct just a few months ago under a Rs 1,982 crore inked with defence PSU Bharat Electronic (BEL) in March 2023, from J&K to Rajasthan, officials told TOI.
“Ground-based defence systems integrated with Akashteer made it hell for Pakistan’s air adventures. The system performed beyond users' expectations, providing robust air defence to India during the current conflict,” BEL said in a post on `X’ on Wednesday.
The major weapon systems plugged into the AD network included the long-range Russian S-400 `Triumf’ surface-to-air missile systems (380-km interception range), Barak-8 medium range SAM systems (70-km), jointly developed with Israel, and the indigenous Akash systems (25-km). Then, there were Pechora missiles, L-70 low-level anti-aircraft guns, shoulder-fired Igla-S missiles (6-km) and the integrated drone detection and interdiction systems (1-2 km).
“This multi-tier defence prevented Pakistan Air Force’s attacks on our airfields and logistic installations during the night of May 9 and 10. It played a crucial role in ensuring that both civilian and military infrastructure across India remains largely unaffected during the enemy’s retaliation attempts,” the govt statement said. It added that at least 10 satellites also continuously worked round-the-clock, quoting ISRO chairman V Narayanan.
Before the truce, India launched offensive actions with surgical precision against nine airbases in Pakistan and PoK as well as some radar sites, including the Nur Khan, Rahimyar Khan and Sargodha airbases, which included the use of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and other stand-off weapons.
“All these strikes were executed without loss of Indian assets, underscoring the effectiveness of our surveillance, planning and delivery systems. The use of modern indigenous technology, from long-range drones to guided munitions made these strikes highly effective and politically calibrated,” the statement said.
Operation Sindoor is not just a story of tactical success, but also a validation of India’s defence indigenization policies. From air defence systems to drones, from counter-UAS capabilities to net-centric warfare platforms, indigenous technology has delivered where it mattered, it said.
“Operation Sindoor emerged as a calibrated military response to an evolving pattern of asymmetric warfare, one that increasingly targets unarmed civilians along with military personnel. India is ready, armed with its own innovations, backed by a determined state, and powered by the ingenuity of its own people,” it added.
“The IAF bypassed and jammed Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied air defence systems (like the HQ-9 missile batteries and radars), completing the mission in just 23 minutes on May 7, demonstrating India’s technological edge,” a new govt statement said.
Despite Pakistan’s attempts to “exploit advanced foreign supplied weaponry”, ranging from Chinese-made PL-15 LR beyond visual range air-to-air missiles to Turkish-origin Byker Yiha kamikaze drones and Asisguard Songar drones, India’s AD and electronic warfare networks “remained superior”, it added.
With PM Narendra Modi having drawn new red lines against Pakistan-backed terrorism, the Indian armed forces are currently on a hot standby, maintaining full operational readiness to foil any misadventure. “We are strictly adhering to the May 10 bilateral understanding to cease all cross-border military action. But Pak Army chief General Asim Munir can never be trusted,” a senior military officer told TOI.
When military hostilities were fully underway for four days last week, the IAF’s fully-automated integrated air command and control system (IACCS) played a critical role during Operation Sindoor. It connects different radars to a wide array of AD weapon systems as well as the Army’s smaller Akashteer system to present a composite real-time air situation picture.
The Army quickly deployed six mobile Akashteer nodes, which it had begun to induct just a few months ago under a Rs 1,982 crore inked with defence PSU Bharat Electronic (BEL) in March 2023, from J&K to Rajasthan, officials told TOI.
“Ground-based defence systems integrated with Akashteer made it hell for Pakistan’s air adventures. The system performed beyond users' expectations, providing robust air defence to India during the current conflict,” BEL said in a post on `X’ on Wednesday.
The major weapon systems plugged into the AD network included the long-range Russian S-400 `Triumf’ surface-to-air missile systems (380-km interception range), Barak-8 medium range SAM systems (70-km), jointly developed with Israel, and the indigenous Akash systems (25-km). Then, there were Pechora missiles, L-70 low-level anti-aircraft guns, shoulder-fired Igla-S missiles (6-km) and the integrated drone detection and interdiction systems (1-2 km).
“This multi-tier defence prevented Pakistan Air Force’s attacks on our airfields and logistic installations during the night of May 9 and 10. It played a crucial role in ensuring that both civilian and military infrastructure across India remains largely unaffected during the enemy’s retaliation attempts,” the govt statement said. It added that at least 10 satellites also continuously worked round-the-clock, quoting ISRO chairman V Narayanan.
Before the truce, India launched offensive actions with surgical precision against nine airbases in Pakistan and PoK as well as some radar sites, including the Nur Khan, Rahimyar Khan and Sargodha airbases, which included the use of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and other stand-off weapons.
“All these strikes were executed without loss of Indian assets, underscoring the effectiveness of our surveillance, planning and delivery systems. The use of modern indigenous technology, from long-range drones to guided munitions made these strikes highly effective and politically calibrated,” the statement said.
Operation Sindoor is not just a story of tactical success, but also a validation of India’s defence indigenization policies. From air defence systems to drones, from counter-UAS capabilities to net-centric warfare platforms, indigenous technology has delivered where it mattered, it said.
“Operation Sindoor emerged as a calibrated military response to an evolving pattern of asymmetric warfare, one that increasingly targets unarmed civilians along with military personnel. India is ready, armed with its own innovations, backed by a determined state, and powered by the ingenuity of its own people,” it added.