Context:
India’s first full-scale drone-led navy operation post-Pahalgam terror assault, Could 2025
Relevance:
GS Paper III – Safety / Defence Expertise
Background:
- Operation Sindoor was launched in Could 2025 in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror assault.
- Marked South Asia’s first occasion of full-spectrum autonomous drone warfare between two nuclear-armed states (India & Pakistan).
- Characterised by below-threshold battle utilizing drones, loitering munitions, and autonomous aerial platforms.
Indian Drone Warfare Capabilities:
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR):
- Israeli Heron MK-II and Indian TAPAS-BH-201 (Rustom-II) UAVs for pre-strike recon.
- Detected thermal signatures, sign intel from terror camps throughout the border.
Aerial Programs Deployed:
| Class | Programs Used |
| Loitering Munitions | Nagastra-1 (Indigenous), Harop (Israeli-origin) |
| Swarm Drones | DRDO + Non-public Sector Collaboration (Radar saturation) |
| ISR Platforms | Heron MK-II, TAPAS-BH-201/Rustom-II |
| Tactical Programs | Quadcopters, Micro-UAVs built-in with IBMS |
Strike Technique:
- Section 1: Digital warfare drones + decoys to impress and exhaust air defences.
- Section 2: Adopted by armed UAVs and loitering munitions for precision strikes.
- Spotlight: Harop drone destroyed Chinese language HQ-9 SAM close to Lahore; created panic throughout a cricket match in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan’s Response: Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos (“Wall of Lead”)
| Class | Programs Used |
| ISR Drones | Shahpar-II, Bayraktar TB2, Wing Loong II |
| Armed UAVs | Burraq, CH-4 |
| Loitering Munitions | CH-901, WS-43 (Chinese language-origin), indigenous kamikaze drones |
- Assault span: Kashmir to Bhuj (1,500 km)
- Centered on Indian radars, ahead bases, and IAF command facilities
- End result: Indian air defence techniques neutralised most assaults, minimal harm
India’s Multi-Layered Air Defence System:
Command & Management:
- IACCS: Integrates radar, AWACS, satellite tv for pc knowledge for speedy, resilient response
- Used Directed Vitality Weapons (DEWs) — lasers/microwaves
Tactical & Floor-Degree:
- Akashteer System: Coordinates Military Air Defence (AAD) sensor-to-shooter operations
- LLAD Programs: Pechora, OSA-AK, ZSU-23-4 Shilka, Bofors L/70, and many others.
- Sniper groups built-in with BSF for low-altitude drone threats
Missile Defence Arsenal:
| System | Position |
| SPYDER | Level defence (Python-5, Derby) |
| Akash / Akash-NG | Medium-range SAM |
| Barak-8 | Indo-Israeli long-range SAM |
| S-400 ‘Triumf’ | Strategic SAM from Russia (3/5 models delivered) |
Strategic Implications:
- New Mannequin of Deterrence: Low-cost, algorithm-driven, autonomous fight
- No Manpower Danger: First large-scale operation utilizing unmanned platforms
- Altering Warfare Doctrine:
- Warfare now not begins with troop mobilization.
- Begins with pre-programmed aerial drone incursions
- Emphasis on AI, ISR, EW, and real-time knowledge integration
Conclusion:
Operation Sindoor is a watershed second in India’s defence historical past. It highlights the way forward for fight — one that’s distant, autonomous, exact, and strategically disruptive.
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