Renowned aviation historian and analyst Tom Cooper has made explosive claims about India's military actions during Operation Sindoor in May 2025.

In a recent interview with NDTV, he asserted that the Indian Air Force (IAF) targeted Pakistan's secretive Kirana Hills nuclear facility, delivering a stark strategic warning to Islamabad, reported NDTV.

Operation Sindoor was launched by India in response to the brutal Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April 2025, which claimed numerous lives. On the night of 6-7 May, Indian forces struck nine terrorist camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), aiming to dismantle terror infrastructure linked to the assault.

Pakistan retaliated by attempting strikes on Indian civilian and military targets, but India's robust air defence systems effectively neutralised the threats. Escalation peaked on the night of 9-10 May when the IAF hammered 11 Pakistani air bases, crippling their operational capacity.

Cooper, known for his meticulous analysis of aerial warfare, claims the IAF's campaign extended to Kirana Hills, a site long suspected of housing Pakistan's underground nuclear storage and research facilities. He described the strike as a calculated move to signal dominance without triggering catastrophic fallout.

According to Cooper, the sequence began with IAF jets neutralising Pakistani radar stations, blinding their ability to mount a coherent counterattack. This paved the way for precision hits on at least two entrances to the Kirana Hills underground complex.

"It's a place you hit when you want to send a clear message without causing, let’s put it this way, too much damage," Cooper told NDTV. He portrayed the action as India's way of conveying: "Listen, guys in Pakistan, we can hit you severely where we want, whenever we want, with as much ammunition as we want. Stop it, finally."

Supporting his assertions, Cooper cited viral videos purportedly filmed by locals, showing missiles slamming into the hillside and thick smoke rising from the impact sites. One clip allegedly captures a strike on a radar station operated by Pakistan's 4091st Squadron of the Air Force.

Diplomatic fallout followed swiftly, Cooper noted. Hours after the alleged Kirana Hills hits, Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) contacted his Indian counterpart on 10 May, urgently requesting a ceasefire. Islamabad also approached the United States, seeking mediation to halt the 88-hour conflict.

"While it was not literally a case of begging for a ceasefire, the developments that followed spoke for themselves," Cooper emphasised. He argued that the timing and sequence of events make the implications "cannot be clearer anymore."

The Indian Air Force has categorically denied targeting Kirana Hills. Official statements maintain that strikes focused solely on terror camps and air bases, dismissing circulating videos as Pakistani fabrications.

Cooper previously criticised this stance in a Facebook post earlier this month. He referenced a press conference by Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, Vice Chief of the IAF, where questions about Kirana Hills were brushed off with: "We don't know about it... these videos were presented by their people... they made them... we did nothing."

Kirana Hills, located in Pakistan's Sargodha district, has been a focal point of intelligence scrutiny for decades. Satellite imagery and defector accounts suggest it conceals tunnel networks for nuclear warheads, fissile material, and missile components, guarded by heavy air defences.

India's Operation Sindoor showcased advanced capabilities, including stand-off munitions and electronic warfare, honed through indigenous programmes like BrahMos and Spice-2000 bombs. Striking such a high-value, hardened target would underscore the IAF's deep-strike prowess.

Cooper's evidence extends beyond videos to seismic data, thermal signatures from open-source intelligence, and patterns in Pakistani communications intercepts. He claims these align precisely with IAF sortie timings during the 88-Hour War.

Pakistan has remained tight-lipped on Kirana Hills damage, fuelling speculation. Official reports acknowledged air base losses but attributed hillside blasts to defensive fires or unrelated incidents.

The ceasefire held after DGMO-level talks, with both sides claiming tactical victories. India hailed Operation Sindoor as a decisive blow against cross-border terrorism, while Pakistan portrayed it as repelled aggression.

Cooper's revelations reignite debate over India's strategic restraint—or boldness—in confronting Pakistan's nuclear shadow. By allegedly piercing the veil at Kirana Hills, New Delhi may have redefined red lines in South Asian deterrence.

Sceptics urge caution, pointing to the absence of official confirmation and risks of misinformation in hybrid warfare. Yet, Cooper's track record in analysing conflicts like Syria and Yemen lends weight to his analysis.

As India advances its defence modernisation—atma nirbhar in missiles and UAVs—Operation Sindoor stands as a testament to operational maturity. Whether Kirana Hills was truly hit remains classified, but the whispers from the skies suggest India's reach exceeds the visible strikes.

NDTV