On the morning of 10 May 2025, the Indian Air Force’s South West Air Command faced a critical decision, NDTV reported.

Operation Sindoor had already escalated sharply, with Indian strikes pounding Pakistani air bases. A mission was set to target Bholari Airbase, 520 kilometres north of Gandhinagar, where intelligence suggested a Swedish-built SAAB Erieye Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft was housed inside a hangar.

Pilots were already strapped into their Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters at frontline bases including Bhuj, Jaisalmer, Phalodi, Naliya, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Uttarlai/Barmer, and Pune.

The exact base of departure was not disclosed. Weapons were loaded, fuel tanks brimmed, and every checklist had been rehearsed to perfection. The tension was palpable, with clipped exchanges between pilots and weapons systems operators betraying nothing of the adrenaline coursing through them.

At that moment, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh called Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, who commanded SWAC. The Chief wanted to know the position of the aircraft. Kapoor, determined not to let his pilots lose their chance, deliberately misstated the timeline.

He told the Chief the jets were airborne, though he knew they would not be for another fifteen minutes. Later, he admitted, “I had to, kind of, not tell him the truth… I lied to him inasmuch as time was concerned.”

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI, designed in Russia but heavily modified in India, was chosen for the mission. Each carried the air-launched BrahMos missile, a Mach 3 weapon with a 300-kilogram warhead. 

Kapoor again reassured the Chief, saying the aircraft were half an hour from weapon launch, though they were not yet in position. He believed it would have been criminal to deny the pilots their long-awaited mission.

The jets roared down the runway and headed for their launch zone. Radar Warning Receivers scanned for Pakistani fighters, while weapons systems were calibrated for precision. When the BrahMos missiles were finally launched, Kapoor reported to the Chief: “Sir, all gone, all aircraft returning.” The Chief asked to be informed once they landed.

The strike was devastatingly effective. Satellite images later broadcast by NDTV showed the Bholari hangar with a gaping hole in its roof, its interior collapsed, and debris scattered across the apron. The precision of the attack was evident, with damage confined to the targeted structure. This became one of the defining images of the IAF’s campaign on 10 May.

Much later, during a lunch with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Kapoor openly confessed to the Chief that he had lied about the mission timings. Air Chief Marshal Singh smiled and replied, “Mujhe pata hai” – “Yes, I know.”

The episode highlighted the extraordinary pressures inside the IAF’s command rooms during Operation Sindoor. It revealed the delicate balance between operational secrecy, the need for decisive action, and the human element of leadership under fire.

The Bholari strike not only showcased India’s air power but also underscored the trust and tension between commanders and their Chief during one of the most critical missions of the conflict.

Agencies