Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, May 17: Operation Sindoor, India’s powerful military retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, struck deep into Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, targeting nine terror bases. What stunned the Pakistan military more than the firepower was the Indian Air Force’s strategic deception that exposed and crippled their air defences.

As per an ANI report citing top defence sources, the Indian Air Force deployed unmanned aerial targets disguised as fighter jets on the night of May 9–10, luring Pakistan into activating its HQ-9 air defence systems. The Pakistani radars responded to these dummy aircraft, inadvertently revealing the location of key Chinese-supplied missile systems, which were then hit by precision missile strikes.

India’s missile offensive followed soon after, targeting 11 of 12 key Pakistani air bases using BrahMos, Scalp, Rampage, and Crystal Maze missiles. The strikes reportedly caused heavy damage to Pakistani airstrips, hangars, and communication hubs, and even disabled an airborne early warning system and surveillance drones in Sindh.

This marks the first operational use of the BrahMos missile in active conflict, according to defence sources. The intensity of the strikes prompted Pakistan to abandon any plans for retaliation, instead rushing to seek talks with India’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) to de-escalate the conflict.

Indian aircraft were directed mainly from the Western and Southwestern Air Commands. On the defensive side, India successfully neutralised Pakistani missile and drone attacks using a robust mix of Russian S-400s, MRSAM, Akash, and legacy air defence systems.
While both nations declared a ceasefire across land, air, and sea last week, fresh drone sightings and explosions in Jammu and Kashmir triggered swift air defence action by Indian forces, indicating heightened vigilance and unresolved tensions.