Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh has described the Russian-built S-400 Triumf long-range surface-to-air missile system as the decisive element of Operation Sindoor, calling it a “game-changer” that denied Pakistan’s combat aircraft the ability to operate even within their own airspace.

The S-400’s extended radar coverage and missile engagement envelopes forced Pakistan’s fighter squadrons to remain outside weapon-release ranges, while those that attempted to engage were either neutralised or damaged.

Singh revealed that the IAF eliminated at least five Pakistani fighter jets and destroyed one large surveillance aircraft—possibly an AEW&C or ELINT platform—at ranges of nearly 300 km, marking one of the longest recorded air-to-air surface-based kills in modern warfare.

According to Singh, the Indian Armed Forces executed highly accurate counter strikes against terrorist infrastructure, radar stations, operations centres, airfields, aircraft shelters, and hangars in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir.

These actions followed Pakistan’s escalation after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians. When Pakistan retaliated militarily, India responded with decisive air campaigns that inflicted significant attrition on Pakistani command and control as well as air-defence facilities.

Singh emphasised that India deliberately chose not to target civilian traffic despite Pakistan using civilian flights over Lahore as radar cover to secretly launch UAVs and attack drones, a move that presented acute ethical and operational challenges for Indian planners.

The IAF Chief highlighted that while unmanned systems played a role in the conflict, including Pakistani attempts to saturate Indian air defences with UAV swarms, drones cannot win wars by themselves.

He stressed the need for a balanced mix of unmanned platforms, heavy-calibre precision weapons, and manned strike aircraft equipped with long-range missile capabilities. Operation Sindoor, he argued, underscored both the utility of drones in saturation attacks and the enduring primacy of high-end platforms like long-range SAMs and strike fighters.

Singh further underscored the significance of the political will displayed by New Delhi in giving the armed forces clear objectives and unrestricted operational freedom. He credited this unambiguous direction from the political leadership as a cornerstone of the operation’s success, alongside technological enablers such as the S-400.

He also urged that conflicts must be concluded swiftly once objectives are met, suggesting that India’s restraint in halting operations after key goals were achieved offered a model lesson in calibrated military action.

Launched on May 7, 2025, Operation Sindoor represented India’s most decisive air campaign in decades, combining strategic strikes on terror infrastructure with the systematic degradation of Pakistan’s air combat power.

Hostilities ended only after Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations formally approached his Indian counterpart to request cessation of fire, underscoring India’s superior military position and control of escalation dynamics.

Agencies