A loitering munition is a type of precision weapon that hovers over a target area to locate and strike targets, often autonomously or under human control, before being expended
India on Thursday issued a strict warning to Pakistan to “not act in a childish way” after the neighbour, on the back foot after Operation Sindoor, tried to enter the Indian airspace multiple times. Top government sources told CNN-News18 that with its “circus in the air”, Pakistan is proving again that it supports terror fronts.
The warning comes as India, for the second day in a row, penetrated Pakistani air defence. “The air defence system of Pakistan has been found so wanting that India has been able to dispatch drones into Pakistan’s biggest cities, including Lahore and Rawalpindi,” sources said. The May 7 attack on terrorist bases was also enabled by a penetration of Pakistani air defence, raising serious questions about the ability of Pakistan to wage a war with India.
“Pakistan sent loitering munitions at night in an attempt to damage our radars and attack India. However, the Air Force was ready and brought them down,” the sources said, adding that on the reports of shells being recovered from Lahore, “India just responded to Pakistan fire”.
They added: “With the help of robust air defence systems, we have managed our borders and avoided any confrontation. Jaish and Lashkar dens were attacked because they were in Pakistani shelter and had inflicted unlimited damage on the Kashmiri people,” the sources said, stressing that India had shown considerable restraint and refrained from striking civilian areas or military installations under Operation Sindoor—unlike Pakistan’s attack on civilians, especially minority Sikhs, in Poonch.
The Indian Army, in a statement, confirmed the development. “On the night of 07-08 May 2025, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles. These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks.”
“Today morning Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised.
Pakistan has increased the intensity of its unprovoked firing across the Line of Control using Mortars and heavy calibre Artillery in areas in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir. Sixteen innocent lives have been lost, including three women and five children, due to Pakistani firing. Here too, India was compelled to respond to bring Mortar and Artillery fire from Pakistan to a halt.
Indian Armed Forces reiterate their commitment to non-escalation, provided it is respected by the Pakistani military.”
WHAT IS LOITERING MUNITIONS?
Explaining how a loitering munition works, the sources said: “It is like a Kamikaze drone that goes and blasts in enemy territory.” Simply put, a loitering munition is a type of precision weapon that hovers over a target area to locate and strike targets, often autonomously or under human control, before being expended.
Loitering munitions combine the features of a drone and a missile. Unlike a missile that is launched directly at a target, a loitering munition is deployed into an area where it can fly or “loiter” for an extended period while searching for a target. It can be manually controlled or use onboard sensors and algorithms to identify potential targets (such as vehicles, personnel, or radar installations). Once a target is selected, the munition dives into it and explodes on impact, destroying both itself and the target.
On Thursday, social media was abuzz with images of remnants of Pakistani weapons found in India’s border states, especially Punjab. Indian authorities also recovered debris from a PL-15E missile in Hoshiarpur, the export version of the PL-15 missile used by China.
Top government sources, meanwhile, haven’t ruled out the possibility of a follow-up to Operation Sindoor, saying the first strike was just part of a long trail of possibly many more strikes, depending on the ground situation.
At the first press meeting after Operation Sindoor, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “We will be ready to retaliate to any misadventure from Pakistan.” India has been closely monitoring the situation on ground since Operation Sindoor as there have been multiple unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the border.
