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India won tech war, Pakistan lost as China's proxy, says John Spencer
Under Operation Sindoor, India did not just win a military conflict with Pakistan, but also scored a victory over China in the technological domain as Pakistan essentially fought as a Chinese proxy by relying heavily on Chinese platforms, according to world's leading military expert John Spencer. read more
The medium-range Akash air defence system is in service with the Indian Army and Air Force. (Photo: BEL)
With Operation Sindoor, India did not just win a military conflict with Pakistan but also scored a victory in a technology war with China, according to world's leading military expert John Spencer.
While India fought and won as a sovereign military power, Pakistan fought and lost as a proxy of China, said Spencer, the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at the US Army Military Academy.
In an article on X, Spencer said that Operation Sindoor witnessed a face-off between India's indigenous capabilities against Pakistan's Chinese military platforms and India's victory amounted to a referendum on the technological competition.
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'Operation Sindoor pitted India's indigenously developed weapons systems against Chinese-supplied platforms fielded by Pakistan. And India didn't just win on the battlefield — it won the technology referendum. What unfolded was not just retaliation, but the strategic debut of a sovereign arsenal built under the twin doctrines of Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat,' said Spencer.
Under Operation Sindoor, India struck terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK). When Pakistan launched missile and drone attacks, India attacked Pakistani military. In the four-day conflict that ended on May 10 with Pakistan's request for a ceasefire, India struck at least eight Pakistani airbases in addition to other military sites, such as air defence units and radar sites.
In the four-day conflict, Pakistan relied heavily on foreign-made platforms, ranging from China's JF-17 fighter planes, US F-16s, and Turkish drones to Chinese HQ-9 air defence systems, which were beaten by Indian indigenous systems, such as BrahMos missiles, Akash and Akashteer air defence systems, and integration of foreign-made fighter planes and air defence systems, such as Rafale fighters, Scalp missiles, and S-400, with Indian systems.
'Operation Sindoor a full-scale validation of India's defense transformation under PM Modi'
Spencer said that Operation Sindoor proved to be a 'full-scale validation of India's defense transformation' that began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative in 2014 and picked up renewed pace in 2020 with the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative.
With Operation Sindoor, India showed the world 'self-reliance in modern warfare looks like'.
Spencer said, 'Operation Sindoor wasn't just a military campaign. It was a technology demonstration, a market signal, and a strategic blueprint. India showed the world what self-reliance in modern warfare looks like—and proved that 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' works under fire.'
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In a sign that India is going double down on indigenisation of military systems after the success of Operation Sindoor, India has approved the building of the prototype of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), an indigenous fifth-generation fighter plane.
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