Pahalgam: The Indian Pakistani social media is abuzz nowadays with people sharing clips of a film which is being shared as Pakistan’s reply to India’s Dhurandhar. The clips are shared and criticized for poor acting and dialogues, which fail to match the reality. While Pakistanis are yet to overcome the Dhurandhar frenzy, the Pahalgam attack anniversary is here to remind them of Operation Sindoor. The four-day conflict that followed in May after the April 22 Pahalgam attack is being studied across the world today. Multiple reports have confirmed India’s air superiority over Pakistan and the Brhamos was final nail in the coffin for them.
Remembering Pahalgam Attack
The Pahalgam region in south Kashmir has historically been a high-security-sensitive zone due to its proximity to pilgrimage routes like the Amarnath Yatra and its strategic terrain. Over the years, it has witnessed periodic militant activity, prompting sustained counter-insurgency deployments by Indian security forces.
On April 22 last year, armed terrorists entered the Baisaran valley of Kashmir, selected males as their target, asked about religion, told victims to recite Kalma and when they couldn’t, they were shot point blank. The terror attack left 26 tourists dead. India vowed revenge and immediately suspended last of the trades and the Indus Water treaty with Pakistan.
Making Chinese-built Pak Air Defence Sitting Ducks
The Indian Air Force has stated that it jammed Pakistani air defence systems and then launched the assault. Some recent developments have suggested that the BrahMos missile outperformed Pakistani air defence systems such as the HQ-9B missile system. The reports claim that Pakistan fired over a dozen interceptors to neutralise BrahMos missiles but failed.
These posts describe a scenario where multiple interceptors were allegedly fired at a small number of cruise missiles, with claims of complete interception failure and electronic warfare dominance. While Pakistan has claimed to have intercepted BrahMos, but the visuals from target sites tell a different story. A story that Pakistani generals cannot tell or show to their public.
The BrahMos missile system, developed jointly by India and Russia, is known for its supersonic speed which is around Mach 2.8–3.0. It has a low-altitude, terrain-hugging flight profile with high precision strike capability.
These characteristics make it difficult to intercept compared to subsonic cruise missiles, particularly when detection windows are short.
HQ-9B air defence system
The HQ-9 series, including the HQ-9B variant, is a long-range surface-to-air missile system developed by China and deployed by Pakistan for air defence. Publicly available defence analysis suggests it is designed for high-altitude and long-range interception roles. It performed poorly against low-flying, high-speed cruise missiles that easily evaded radar coverage.
Indian Armed Forces in Action
During the first phase of Operation Sindoor on May 6-7, the Indian Air Force bypassed and jammed Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied air defence systems. Then the Air Force went on to complete the mission in just 23 minutes using Rafale jets, SCALP missiles, and HAMMER bombs.
In the first leg of Operation Sindoor, India targeted multiple high-profile terrorists on the most-wanted list. They were neutralised in a single night, crippling key operational modules. High-value targets eliminated include Yusuf Azhar, Abdul Malik Rauf, and Mudassir Ahmad. These individuals were linked to the IC-814 hijack and the Pulwama blast.
On May 9–10, India became the first country to strike 11 airbases of a nuclear-armed nation in a single operation, destroying 20% of Pakistan’s air force assets. High casualties were inflicted at Bhoolari Airbase, including the death of Squadron Leader Usman Yusuf and the destruction of key fighter jets.
India’s multi-layered air defence, including the indigenous Akashteer system, shot down hundreds of drones and missiles. This also showcased India’s growing capabilities in exporting advanced defence systems.
Bureau Report
Leave a Reply