Following the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 Indian’s, New Delhi launched Operation Sindoor in which precision strikes were carried out on terror camps in places like Muridke and Bahawalpur in Pakistan on May 7. This led to a retaliation by Islamabad that launched swarms of drones and missile attacks on the Indian civilian population and military bases.

However, all the attempts by Pakistan were thwarted by India’s air defence. The counter-offensive by India is being praised by analysts as the most daring and tactically ambitious counter-offensives ever witnessed between the two nuclear armed rivals.

How was India’s counter-offensive against Pakistan daring and tactically ambitious?

According to information availed from talking to multiple sources involved in the operation, the Indian Air Force with active support of other forces struck 11 out of 12 Pakistani Air Bases on the intervening night of May 9 and 10. The attack was also successful in crippling the Chinese supported Air Defence systems of Pakistan, reported news agencys.

Dummy aircraft used to deceive enemy

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles were the ones to cause maximum destruction to Pakistan, along with the Scalp missiles fitted on the Rafale fighter jets.

About 15 BrahMos were fired by India at various air force bases of Pakistan in order to cripple them from launching any aircraft or strikes, the report further said, citing sources in the defence establishment.

Since India did not want to miss its targets, the strikes on the Pakistani air bases were first started by sending dummy pilotless target aircraft camouflaged to look like fighters jets to deceive enemy radars.

 Air defence radars and command targeted

As soon as the Pakistani Radars and air defence systems got alarmed and ready to attack the dummy pilotless fighters jets, India launched its missile attack, including the Israeli-made Harops, which destroyed the enemy’s air defence radars and command and control systems, sources added.

The Pakistan Air Force did try to move its entire set of HQ-9 air defence missile system launchers and radars to different locations but failed as India detected them.

Use of the BrahMos for the first time

This was followed by missile attacks on Pakistani air bases. According to the sources, about 15 BrahMos missiles and Scalp, Rampage and Crystal Maze missiles were launched by the Indian air force to destory the air bases.

The Western Air command and the Southwestern Air Command of the Indian Air Force were given the responsibility for the air attacks on Pakistan.

The Russian S-400, MRSAM, and Akash air defence missile units were the modern systems used to thwart all aerial attacks by Pakistan.

This is the first time the Indian defence forces used the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos in an active conflict, and it proved immensely worthy of its capabilities.