Operation Sindoor autonomous warfare

• Operation Sindoor, launched in May in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, marked a significant milestone in drone-centric warfare in South Asia.

• Both sides rewrote their rules of engagement, introducing a ‘new normal’ of airborne deterrence without pilots, autonomous platforms, armed drones, and loitering munitions.

• The drone war intensified, with both countries using a broad spectrum of UAS for real-time intelligence gathering and precision strikes.

• India claimed to have downed around 600 Pakistani drones, releasing intercepted footage and wreckage. Pakistan alleged that 300–400 Indian drones had unsuccessfully targeted its military and strategic infrastructure.

• India’s offensive against Pakistan featured a diverse UAS inventory, disrupting its communication nodes and forward deployed command centres.

• The strikes were delivered in carefully sequenced waves, with initial sorties deploying decoy drones and electronic warfare payloads to saturate radar coverage.

• Media reports claimed that India’s drone strikes disrupted a cricket match in Rawalpindi and destroyed a Chinese-supplied HQ-9 air defence system near Lahore.

• Military analysts noted that India’s use of varied UAS to deliver calibrated, cross-border strikes without risking manned aircraft represented the emerging regional model of deterrence and showcased India’s growing competence in autonomous, cost-effective, and networked warfare.

Pakistan’s Retaliation in Operation Sindoor

Pakistan’s Retaliation

• Pakistan deployed a range of UAS, including Shahpar-II MALE UAVs, Burraq drones, Bayraktar TB2s, and Chinese-supplied CH-4 and Wing Loong II platforms.

• Pakistan’s loitering munitions targeted radar stations, forward operating bases, and critical Army and IAF command nodes.

• Despite the attacks, India’s robust, multi-tiered air defence grid effectively neutralised the attacks.

India’s Multi-Layer Air Defence System

• Pakistan attempted to disrupt India’s Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) by launching drones via varied routes, altitudes, and timings.

• The IACCS fuses surveillance inputs from ground-based radars, airborne early warning and control platforms, satellites, and other sensors into a centralized but distributed command-and-control network.

• The system’s’mesh’ architecture allowed seamless failovers when nodes were hit, with satellite uplinks and mobile platforms sustaining full situational awareness.

• The Akashteer air defence control and reporting system provided a digitised command layer for Army Air Defence units, enabling seamless coordination between sensor units and weapon platforms.

A New Kind of War

• The domestic Akash and Akash-NG missile system provided medium-range coverage.

• The long-range Barak-8, jointly developed with Israel, defended high-value assets and strategic nodes from aircraft, drones, and ballistic/cruise missiles.

• All these systems were centrally integrated through the IACCS, enabling coordinated, real-time responses and full-spectrum aerial threat mitigation.