India’s Operation Sindoor was triggered by the brutal killing of twenty-six tourists in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025 by an off-shoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Times of India reported.

This attack set in motion a chain of events that culminated in Indian armed forces striking terror targets deep inside Pakistan. Within eighty-eight hours, Islamabad was compelled to request a ceasefire.

The Indian Air Force struck two major terror headquarters: Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke and Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur. These precision-guided strikes were based on intelligence targeting and destroyed infrastructure used for recruitment, training and planning, while ensuring no civilian or military collateral damage. The Indian Army simultaneously struck nine other terror targets using artillery and loitering munitions.

Pakistan escalated the conflict with coordinated drone and missile attacks across a wide arc from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat. India countered these attacks through the Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), which coordinated air defence assets to intercept drones, missiles, UAVs and loitering munitions. This system fused military and civil surveillance sensors into a single recognised air picture, enabling accurate classification of aerial threats.

Between 8 and 10 May, Pakistan widened its targets to civilian infrastructure, including places of worship, schools and medical centres. India responded with decisive strikes on Pakistani air defence radars, command centres and military bases at Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Murid, Sargodha, Jacobabad and Bholari.

The IAF also struck air bases at Nur Khan and Rahim Yar Khan, while defending Indian airspace using a layered grid comprising the indigenous Akash system, Pechora and OSA-AK platforms.

On 10 May, the IAF struck four hangars at Jacobabad housing fighter aircraft, AEW&C platforms and UCAVs. Multiple F-16s were destroyed or damaged, alongside one AEW&C aircraft and several Akinci and TB-2 class drones.

Pakistani Air Force casualties were reported. Runways at Sargodha and Rahim Yar Khan were damaged, while command centres at Chaklala and Murid were destroyed. Six radars and two Surface to Air Guided Weapon locations were neutralised using air-launched weapons and loitering munitions.

In one engagement, an IAF S-400 unit destroyed a Pakistani special mission aircraft from a distance of 314 kilometres.

This strike redefined assumptions about stand-off air defence range and demonstrated that no target was beyond the IAF’s reach. Throughout the conflict, Pakistan kept its civil airspace open and reportedly used civilian flights as shields, but India ensured no risk to international air traffic.

The operation showcased the synergy of India’s air defence program and the effectiveness of its layered systems. The IAF’s IACCS operators coordinated tactical nodes across multiple locations, ensuring seamless operations. The bravery and precision of the Air Force were recognised with 219 gallantry awards conferred on personnel for their role during Operation Sindoor.

Agencies