Exclusive: Navy Was On Standby To Hit Pak, Order To Launch Missiles Never Came
New Delhi:
The Indian Navy fleet had been assigned their target packages, and were put on hot-standby to launch land-attack missiles at targets inside Pakistan on more than one occasion during Operation Sindoor.
The final orders to fire ultimately never came with sources telling NDTV, "the Navy stopped short of launching an attack on identified targets. This included Pakistan Navy ships and submarines in harbour and land-based targets." An all-out Naval attack would have marked a significant escalation in the military hostilities during Op Sindoor.
Targets inside Pakistan, including Pak Navy ships at Karachi harbour, would have been attacked with BrahMos missiles and submarine-fired land-attack cruise missiles, believed to be of the Klub series, which are integrated with India's Russian built 'Kilo' Class submarines. "Both warships and submarines were in position to launch anti-ship and land attack missiles."
An all-out Naval attack would have been a significant escalation during Op Sindoor. (File pic: INS Visakhapatnam)
Throughout the military hostilities between India and Pakistan, the Pakistani Navy's frontline assets including frigates and corvettes stayed bottled-up within harbour and did not venture out. NDTV has learnt that many of these warships could have been sunk at port if the order to fire had come to the Navy.
While the Indian Navy's warships, which enjoy an overwhelming qualitative edge over the Pak Navy, did not fire, NDTV has learnt at Naval weapons were deployed from land bases to strike terrorist bases and other targets within Pakistan. The weapon-systems used have not been specified.
India's dominance of the North Arabian Sea revolved around the INS Vikrant carrier battle group and its integral component of MiG-29K fighter-jets. This ensured dominance of airspace off the Southern coast of Pakistan. "The presence of the Carrier Battle Group also kept the pressure on Pakistani air assets, with literally nil presence over sea."
Navy's MiG-29K forced Pakistan Navy's RAS-72 Sea Eagle to head back to coast
NDTV has learnt that a lone Pakistan Navy RAS-72 Sea Eagle, a maritime patrol version of the ATR-72 turbo-prop aircraft had been tracked by INS Vikrant battle group a few days after military hostilities between India and Pakistan came to an end. "The lone Pak surveillance aircraft which ventured out was effectively tracked and quickly formatted on by MiG-29K forcing it to head back to coast."
The Indian Navy MiG-29K, which was launched from INS Vikrant, positioned itself within a few hundred metres of the Pak Navy aircraft, forcing the Pak Navy aircraft to return.
File pic of Pak maritime surveillance aircraft that Indian Navy MiGs tracked and came within a few 100 metres away
Operation Sindoor was a series of air and missile strikes conducted by Indian Armed Forces between May 6-7 which targeted at least nine Pakistani terrorist infrastructure sites. This was in retaliation for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 26 civilians were shot dead.
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