SOURCE ; NEW18
Last Updated:May 14, 2025, 20:31 IST
Pakistan army’s China-supplied HQ-9 air defence system deployed near Lahore was made redundant by the IAF while Indian air defences neutralized Pakistan’s drones.
Indian armed forces fight Pakistani Army and terrorists during Operation Sindoor. (IMAGE: SOURCED)
In an air raid that lasted not more than 23 minutes, the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully bypassed and jammed Pakistan’s Chinese-origin air defence systems near Lahore in the early hours of May 7. The air raid and the targeted strikes on terror hubs deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was part of Operation Sindoor. The air raid was India’s precise military response to recent patterns of asymmetric warfare, a government press release said, referring to the heinous killings of 26 civilians, most of them tourists in Pahalgam, southern Kashmir on April 22.
The air defence battery in question included the Pakistan Army’s Chinese-supplied HQ-9 air defence system deployed near Lahore. The government press release said that the site was neutralised during the May 8 morning raid. It further added that the jamming was done with electronic warfare tools and loitering munitions were used to disable and destroy radar installations and missile infrastructure.
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The press release highlighted that Pakistan Army had attempted to strike Indian military positions across northern and western sectors using their drones and missile platforms. But when they encountered India’s integrated air defence grid, which includes indigenous systems like the Akash missile and legacy platforms such as the Pechora and OSA-AK, they were all neutralised.
India’s offensive strike package operated under the Indian Air Force’s Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), which synchronised assets across the Army, Navy and Air Force. The attack faced no reported resistance from Pakistani military’s air defences, which were either jammed or misled using advanced electronic warfare techniques.
The government pointed out that no Indian assets were lost in the strike. High-value targets such as radar units and missile batteries were destroyed. Recovered debris showed that Pakistan used Chinese-origin PL-15 missiles and Turkish-made YIHA drones.
The operation came four weeks after the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, which India saw as Pakistan’s bid to use terrorism to create instability in India.
Operation Sindoor was India’s response to Pakistan’s state policy of backing terrorists, aimed at degrading cross-border terror infrastructure without crossing the Line of Control or the international boundary.
The Ministry of Defence stated that the operation showcased the growing role of indigenous technology in defence. India’s use of homegrown drones, guided munitions and electronic warfare systems played a central role in both offensive and defensive operations during the week of May 7 to 10.
The press release said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also highlighted the real-time coordination enabled by satellite surveillance. Around ten Indian satellites supported the mission by tracking airspace activity and monitoring threat movement along India’s borders.
While details of specific assets used remain classified, the press release highlighted that multiple layers of counter-drone and anti-missile systems had been activated across western and northern India in anticipation of retaliation.
Pakistan’s attempted strikes were largely foiled by this grid. The press release from the government highlighted that the decision to go public with the details was meant to underline India’s capability to respond with speed and precision to emerging threats.
- First Published:
May 14, 2025, 20:14 IST
