The IAF’s Operation Sindoor saw precision strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan, jamming air defenses and showcasing India’s military capabilities.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) jammed Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied air defence (AD) systems to launch a series of precision strikes on terror and military targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) between May 7 and 10 as part of Operation Sindoor, the government said on Wednesday.
The revelation about the air force crippling Pakistan’s air defences came hours after the Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met to review the security dynamics on the western border following the May 10 understanding that ended four days of fierce fighting with the neighbouring country.
“IAF bypassed and jammed Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied AD systems, completing the mission in just 23 minutes and demonstrating India’s technological edge,” the information and broadcasting ministry said on Wednesday. Jamming means disrupting or confusing enemy radar and communications.
“23 minutes” refers to the time taken by IAF and army — in the early hours of May 7 — to bomb nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, carefully selected based on hard intelligence and their nefarious track record of perpetrating terror activities.
“All 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 I&B statement read.
Operation Sindoor was a response to the April 22 terror attack at Pahalgam in Kashmir, where terrorists shot dead 26 people – all men, 25 of them tourists and 24 Hindu – in what was the worst attack on civilians since the 26/11 Mumbai strikes.
The CCS meet came two days after the Indian Army director general of military operations Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai and his Pakistani counterpart spoke over the hotline to uphold the uneasy truce. Neither side has since fired a single shot, a key condition for the ceasefire, though Pakistan has attempted to violate the ceasefire with some drones sighted over Indian cities on Saturday night and Monday night.
The pre-dawn strikes on May 7 – in which at least 100 terrorists were killed – sparked a series of attacks and counterattacks across the western border, involving fighter jets, missiles, armed drones, and fierce artillery and rocket duels.
In one such counterattack on the intervening night of May 9-10, IAF struck targets at 13 airbases and military installations in Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Chunian, Pasrur, Sialkot, Skardu, Sargodha, Jacobabad, Bholari and Malir Cantt in Karachi, marking the worst hit that Pakistan has taken after the 1971 war.
India’s offensive strikes targeted key Pakistani air bases, including Nur Khan (Chaklala) and Rahim Yar Khan, with surgical precision, the I&B ministry said. “Loitering munitions were also used to devastating effect, each finding and destroying high-value targets, including enemy radar and missile systems.” the statement added.
The targets hit by IAF included runways, hangars, command and control centres, radar bases, missile sites and weapon storage areas.
“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’s response was deliberate, precise, and strategic… However, beyond tactical brilliance, what stood out was the seamless integration of indigenous high-tech systems into national defence,” the I&B ministry said.
While Pakistan’s systems were blinded by IAF, India’s multi-layered AD grid was impregnable. It punctured multiple waves of Pakistani attacks on Indian military installations, airbases and civilian areas by guaranteeing prompt detection and targeting of the incoming threats, officials aware of the matter said.
India’s AD systems, combining the assets of IAF, army, and navy, performed with exceptional synergy. “These systems, built over the last decade with continuous government investment, proved to be force multipliers during the operation. They played a crucial role in ensuring that both civilian and military infrastructure across India remained largely unaffected during the enemy retaliation,” the I&B ministry said.
India’s AD grid operated with multiple weapons across four levels, depending on the distance of the incoming target. The weapons that formed part of the grid included the S-400 system, medium-range surface to air missile system (Barak 8), the Pechora air defence system, Spyder quick-reaction missiles, and upgraded L-70 and Zu-23-2B guns.
The nine terror camps hit by the forces with a mix of missiles and smart munitions included Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur, Markaz Taiba near Muridke, Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot, Sawai Nala and Syed Na Bilal in Muzaffarabad, Gulpur and Abbas in Kotli, Barnala in Bhimber, and Sarjal near the international border (IB).
IAF took down the terror infrastructure in Markaz Subhanallah and Markaz Taiba; the remaining camps were targeted by the army.
The Markaz Subhanallah camp was the farthest target for the Indian forces. Located around 100 km from the IB, it was the headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). It was used for recruitment, training and indoctrinating terrorists.
Markaz Taiba was the headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) led by Hafiz Saeed. Terrorists trained at this camp were associated with many strikes in India, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist then captured alive, received training here and so did David Coleman Headley. It was located 25 km inside Pakistan.
The weapons used by IAF during Operation Sindoor included Scalp deep-strike cruise missiles that allowed Rafale fighter pilots to attack ground targets from standoff ranges, the Hammer smart weapon system, Sukhoi-30-launched BrahMos missiles and guided bomb kits.
