In May 2025, India launched a decisive and technologically advanced military operation against Pakistan, employing BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to devastating effect on military positions deep inside Pakistani territory. This marked the first operational use of BrahMos in active conflict, and its performance exceeded expectations, delivering high-precision strikes that crippled critical Pakistani air assets and defence networks.

The strikes were part of Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory campaign following a terror attack in Pahalgam and subsequent Pakistani attempts to target civilian and military sites in India. On the night of May 9–10, the Indian Air Force (IAF) executed a meticulously coordinated assault. The operation began with the use of dummy jets and pilotless target aircraft to provoke Pakistani air defence systems into action, thereby exposing their radar and missile batteries. Once these defences were activated, Indian forces deployed loitering munitions, such as Israeli Harop drones, to neutralize the air defence grid.

With the Pakistani radar network compromised, the IAF launched approximately 15 BrahMos missiles from both land-based platforms and air-launched variants mounted on Sukhoi-30MKI fighters. These precision strikes targeted 11 of Pakistan’s 12 most critical airbases, including Nur Khan (Chaklala), Rafiqui, Murid, Sukkur (Bholari), Rahim Yar Khan, Chunian, Sialkot, Pasrur, Sargodha, Jacobabad, and Skardu. The missiles disabled runways, destroyed hardened shelters, obliterated command centers, and demolished radar installations, effectively paralyzing Pakistan’s air operations and blinding its situational awareness.

The impact was immediate and profound. Pakistan was forced to relocate its surviving aircraft to rear bases, and reportedly lost several high-value assets, including long-endurance UAVs and an airborne early warning system destroyed in a hangar in Sindh. The destruction at Bholari airbase, a key dual-use facility, compromised Pakistan’s southern force projection and left Karachi vulnerable. Satellite imagery later revealed extensive cratering and collapsed structures at targeted sites, underscoring the destructive power and pinpoint accuracy of the BrahMos, which can strike targets at speeds of Mach 2.8–3.0 and with meter-level precision.

The intensity and effectiveness of the BrahMos-led offensive forced Pakistan to abandon plans for further retaliation. The psychological and operational shock led Islamabad to urgently seek a Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) level meeting with India to propose a pause in hostilities. Indian officials noted that the strikes not only degraded Pakistan’s conventional military capacity but also undermined its nuclear posturing by targeting bases near strategic assets, sending a clear message about India’s precision-strike capabilities and escalation dominance.

Use of Dummy Jets And Drones Enhances Effectiveness of BrahMos Missiles

The use of dummy jets and drones was a critical force multiplier that dramatically enhanced the effectiveness of the BrahMos missile strikes during Operation Sindoor. The Indian Air Force (IAF) initiated the operation by deploying unmanned, pilotless aircraft camouflaged to appear as real fighter jets on enemy radars. This deception successfully provoked Pakistan to activate its radar and air defence networks, including the advanced HQ-9 missile batteries, in anticipation of an incoming aerial assault. 

By doing so, Pakistan inadvertently revealed the locations and operational frequencies of its air defence assets, which were previously concealed or dispersed to evade detection.

Once these air defence systems were exposed, Indian forces swiftly deployed loitering munitions—such as Israeli Harop drones—to target and neutralise the activated radars and missile batteries. This systematic suppression of Pakistan’s air defence grid left critical military infrastructure vulnerable and significantly reduced the risk to Indian aircraft and incoming missiles.

With the Pakistani air defence network compromised, the IAF proceeded to launch approximately 15 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles in precision strikes against key airbases and military installations across Pakistan. The absence of an effective air defence shield allowed the BrahMos missiles to operate with minimal interception risk, enabling them to deliver devastating and accurate blows to runways, hardened shelters, command centres, and radar installations. This sequence—beginning with the dummy aircraft and drones, followed by the BrahMos strikes—ensured that the missile attacks achieved maximum impact, crippling Pakistan’s ability to mount counter-operations and forcing the relocation of high-value assets to rear bases.

The BrahMos missile strikes during Operation Sindoor delivered a crippling blow to Pakistan’s military infrastructure deep inside its territory, shifting the strategic balance and compelling a rapid de-escalation of hostilities.

IDN