Operation Sindoor: As Pakistan launched unprovoked drone and missile attacks in parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan on Thursday night, the Indian military shot them down before they could hit their targets using weapons made in Russia and domestically produced systems.
Last night, the Pakistani military targeted the Indian Army and Indian Air Force bases, among other civilian sites in a major escalation, which was responded to with equal force by India.
According to the officials, last night, Pakistan made failed attempts to send Swarm Drones all across various places along the Line of Control and International Borders. The Indian Army Air Defence units in the areas of Udhampur, Samba, Jammu, Akhnoor, Nagrota, and Pathankot neutralised over 45-50 drones during a large-scale counter-drone operation.
The military engagement involved the extensive use of L-70 guns, Zu-23mm, Schilka systems, and other advanced counter-UAS equipment.
Pakistan escalated the situation and carried out attacks in two rounds – the first took place on the intervening night of May 7-8, and the second on May 8 evening.
In the first round, they targeted 15 cities in the northern and western parts of India, while in the second round, Pakistan concentrated its attack on Jammu and Kashmir and the border areas in Punjab and Rajasthan.
Responding to the first wave, India had struck military sites in Pakistan, including in Lahore. Last night, in response to the second wave, India struck Islamabad, Lahore and Sialkot.
The Indian armed forces used the Russia-made S-400 Triumf air defence system, domestically-made Akash surface-to-air missiles, various kinds of anti-drone systems and other measures to thwart the incoming projectiles from Pakistan. The projectiles were detected and tracked by an integrated network of radars and control systems working together.
Earlier, India used loitering munitions, including Israeli-made Harop, to neutralise air defence systems in Pakistan. Harop is a suicide drone.
India had signed a deal with Russia in October 2018 to procure five S-400 missile systems for Rs 39,000 crore. The S-400 is capable of shooting down a number of aerial threats such as enemy fighter jets, missiles and drones from as far as 400 km away. India has so far received three units of S-400, while the delivery of the remaining two units has been delayed due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The air defence system is a big boost in the arsenal of the Indian armed forces, combining radars, a control centre and missiles, that allow them to spot, track and strike targets at any height and distance.
The Akash surface-to-air missile system was also deployed, which is capable of intercepting fast-moving and hard-to-detect aerial targets.
Op Sindoor India Downs Over 50 Pakistani Drones Using Russian And Domestic Air Defence Systems
