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Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bayraktar busted: Pakistan's drone fiasco-How Indian radars exposed Turkish tech
Turkey's much-hyped Bayraktar TB2 drones, hailed as revolutionary weapons in conflicts from Ukraine to Libya, have suffered a devastating reputational blow after Pakistan's Turkish-origin drone fleet failed spectacularly during Operation Sindoor. Indian forces, using indigenous Akashteer air defense systems, shot down every single Turkish-origin drone in the May conflict, leaving the Turkish defense industry scrambling to defend its once-prized exports. Why it matters Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long touted Turkish-made drones as a symbol of his 'Islamist vision' and a centerpiece of Turkey's defense ambitions. The drones were not only instruments of hard power but also a diplomatic tool for Turkish influence in Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. But as India's Akashteer system intercepted Pakistani drones with 100% accuracy, Turkey's arms export ambitions took a direct hit. Also read: Turkish drones to Chinese missiles, India beat them all This collapse of performance-described by a senior Indian officer as 'not a single drone achieving its objective'-has raised fresh doubts about Turkish drones' battlefield credibility and the broader promise of Turkey's defense industry. The big picture Pakistan's military imported hundreds of Turkish drones, hoping to overwhelm Indian air defenses and showcase Turkish technology as a regional power equalizer. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Todos os idosos deveriam ter um desse no banheiro! Veja só! Evite quedas e escorregões Saiba Mais Undo Instead, the attack ended in humiliating defeat. Indian Air Defence officers confirmed that 300-400 Turkish drones, including Byker YIHA III kamikaze drones and Turkish-origin micro-drones like Songatri and eYatri, were neutralized in mid-air before they could even scratch Indian defenses. A Pakistani source told Reuters that Turkish drones were meant to provide cover for manned aircraft and artillery strikes, but 'the drones failed to reach targets' as India's integrated air defenses, from legacy L70 guns to cutting-edge Akashteer radars, kicked in. What they are saying Michael Rubin, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, minced no words: 'Erdogan may offer a hard sale to promote his Islamist vision or simply to enrich his family, but the product he is selling is now subpar. Just as socialism stymies development as bureaucrats fail to adjust for competition, so too does nepotism ruin industries. Baykar, knowing it had full state support, simply stopped innovating effectively. ' Pakistani officials have tried to downplay the losses, insisting they are re-evaluating drone deployment strategies. But the magnitude of the failure is hard to hide: Indian Air Defence sources say they recovered hundreds of drone parts along the border-clear evidence of Turkey's failure to deliver. Zoom in The real star of this clash? India's homegrown Akashteer system. Developed by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Akashteer integrates seamlessly with Indian Army and Air Force radars. It automates threat detection, tracks targets, and assigns weapons in real time-a feature that proved decisive in the face of Pakistan's drone swarm. 'It didn't roar or flash - it listened, calculated and struck with precision,' an official told PTI. 'Every threat was intercepted, every target neutralised.' This level of precision is no fluke. Indian officers compared Akashteer's performance to Israel's Iron Dome, noting that while Iron Dome specializes in missile defense, Akashteer has shown exceptional versatility against low-flying drones and loitering munitions. Between the lines For Turkey, the reputational hit goes beyond this one conflict. The Bayraktar TB2 had become the face of Turkish defense sales, with celebrated success stories in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and early phases of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. But cracks were already showing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted last year that 'those or other drones can help, but do not affect the result,' as Russia's electronic warfare systems jammed Bayraktar drones. The India-Pakistan clash has underscored these vulnerabilities, exposing Turkish drones as poorly adapted to modern electronic and radar-dense battlefields. Historical echoes This is not the first time that battlefield performance has shattered weapons myths. In 1982, Israeli Air Force F-15s and F-16s downed over 80 Soviet-built Syrian MiGs without losing a single plane-an outcome that punctured the myth of Soviet invincibility in Arab states. Analysts say Turkey is facing a similar reckoning now. 'Any African despot or Central Asian country still purchasing Turkish hardware should recognize they risk wasting hundreds of millions of dollars,' Rubin warned. What's at stake for Turkey For President Erdogan and his son-in-law's company Baykar, the India-Pakistan conflict is more than just a marketing setback. It's a blow to Turkey's entire narrative of self-sufficiency and regional influence. Analysts are already warning that countries in Africa and Central Asia that relied on Turkish drones may now look elsewhere. China and the US remain key players in the global drone market, and Turkey's stumble has opened the door for rivals to push their systems as more reliable and battle-proven. What's next As Pakistan rebuilds its airfields and grapples with the aftermath of this clash, Turkey's defense industry is facing questions that go well beyond the battlefield. In Africa, Somali and Libyan leaders had turned to Turkish drones to prop up their regimes. In Ethiopia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed used Bayraktar drones to devastating effect against Tigray forces. But after this fiasco, prospective buyers may pause-fearing that the Turkish drones they once saw as cost-effective alternatives to Western systems may be little more than paper tigers. Meanwhile, India's success with Akashteer has emboldened its push for indigenous defense technology. Smit Shah of the Drone Federation India said that India plans to triple its drone investments in the next two years-leveraging the lessons of Operation Sindoor to build a robust domestic drone and counter-drone ecosystem.
Economic Times
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Economic Times
Pakistani player lashes out at Indian rival after U16 Davis Cup loss, viral video sparks outrage
A video showing a Pakistani player's aggressive behavior towards an Indian player during the U16 Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Junior Davis Cup playoff has sparked outrage. This incident occurred amidst heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, following a terrorist attack and India's subsequent military operation. Despite the tensions, India secured a 2-0 victory, finishing the campaign in 11th place. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Indian players secure straight-set victories Incident comes during heightened Indo-Pak tensions Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A video from India's 2-0 win over Pakistan in the U16 Davis Cup has caused widespread outrage after showing a Pakistani player acting aggressively towards an Indian player. The incident took place during the Asia-Oceania Junior Davis Cup (U-16) 11th-place playoff held in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, on clinched the match as Prkaash Sarran and Tavish Pahwa both won their singles matches in straight sets. Their performances helped India close its campaign with a win, finishing in 11th India had narrowly lost to New Zealand in the 9th-12th place playoff. The tie ended 1-2 after the Indian pair lost a close super tie-break (9-11) in the deciding doubles video showing the unsportsmanlike behaviour emerged at a time of increased tension between India and Pakistan. On April 22, a terrorist attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people, most of them tourists. India responded by launching Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting nine terrorist bases in situation quickly escalated. Indian Air Defence forces reported drone interceptions, while red alerts and blackouts were reported in Jammu and Kashmir. A ceasefire agreement has since restored calm between the two conflict had an impact on other events, including the Indian Premier League . The 2025 season was briefly halted due to the escalating situation. Following the ceasefire, the league resumed Chairman Arun Dhumal told IANS on Tuesday, 'All three service chiefs of the Indian Armed Forces have been invited to attend the IPL final on June 3 in Ahmedabad,' adding that the final would be held under the theme of honouring the heroes of Operation Sindoor.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Pakistani player lashes out at Indian rival after U16 Davis Cup loss, viral video sparks outrage
Indian players secure straight-set victories — IndTennisDaily (@IndTennisDaily) Incident comes during heightened Indo-Pak tensions Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A video from India's 2-0 win over Pakistan in the U16 Davis Cup has caused widespread outrage after showing a Pakistani player acting aggressively towards an Indian player. The incident took place during the Asia-Oceania Junior Davis Cup (U-16) 11th-place playoff held in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, on clinched the match as Prkaash Sarran and Tavish Pahwa both won their singles matches in straight sets. Their performances helped India close its campaign with a win, finishing in 11th India had narrowly lost to New Zealand in the 9th-12th place playoff. The tie ended 1-2 after the Indian pair lost a close super tie-break (9-11) in the deciding doubles video showing the unsportsmanlike behaviour emerged at a time of increased tension between India and Pakistan. On April 22, a terrorist attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people, most of them tourists. India responded by launching Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting nine terrorist bases in situation quickly escalated. Indian Air Defence forces reported drone interceptions, while red alerts and blackouts were reported in Jammu and Kashmir. A ceasefire agreement has since restored calm between the two conflict had an impact on other events, including the Indian Premier League . The 2025 season was briefly halted due to the escalating situation. Following the ceasefire, the league resumed Chairman Arun Dhumal told IANS on Tuesday, 'All three service chiefs of the Indian Armed Forces have been invited to attend the IPL final on June 3 in Ahmedabad,' adding that the final would be held under the theme of honouring the heroes of Operation Sindoor.
India.com
20-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Did India Deploy AD Guns Inside Golden Temple? Army Says…
New Delhi: It could have turned out catastrophic if India had not been ready. A barrage of Pakistani missiles and drones hurtled through the skies. They had a well-defined destination – military bases, civilian areas and Amritsar's sacred Golden Temple. But fortunately, they all measurably failed to hit their targets, thanks to India's full-scale air defence preparedness. Protecting civilian targets was top priority of the Indian defence forces. But defending a place of religious important, the Golden Temple, needed something more. Some media reports are circulating with respect to the deployment of AD Guns in the Golden Temple. However, the Army clarified that no AD guns or any other AD resources were deployed within the premises of Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar. #WATCH | Amritsar, Punjab: Indian Army shows a demo of how Indian Air Defence systems, including the upgraded L-70 Air Defence Guns, saved the Golden Temple in Amritsar and cities of Punjab from Pakistani missile and drone attacks. — ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2025 The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 15 Infantry Division, Major General Kartik C Seshadri, revealed how he and his soldiers did a job well done. 'We had already anticipated that they would target religious places as the Pakistan Army did not have any legitimate targets. Given geographical location, the Golden Temple was the most vulnerable target,' he said. Accordingly, the Army pressed into action 'holistic air defence umbrella' around the holy site that included modern air defence systems such as L-70 guns and AKASH missile batteries. Meant for shaking India, the drone and missile assault came to retaliate India's Operation Sindoor, which was a precision strike launched on the intervening night of May 6-7. Indian controlled and well-coordinated attacks targeted terrorist infrastructures at nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. #WATCH | Amritsar, Punjab: Indian Army shows a demo of how Indian Air Defence systems, including AKASH missile system, saved the Golden Temple in Amritsar and cities of Punjab from Pakistani missile and drone attacks. — ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2025 These attacks were India's loud and clear response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians who were both Indian and foreign tourists. Talking about India's military offensive, Major General Seshadri said, 'Consequent to Pakistan Army-sponsored dastardly terrorist attack on innocent tourists, the nation's anger under able leadership took the form of Operation Sindoor, under which befitting punitive strikes were carried out on exclusive terror targets.' He said nine major terror hubs were hit – seven of which were destroyed by the Army. 'Of these, the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters at Muridke, near Lahore, and the Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters at Bahawalpur were struck with absolute precision,' he said. He clarified India's position. 'We issued a statement – clarifying that we intentionally did not target any Pakistani military or civilian infrastructure,' he added. #WATCH | Amritsar, Punjab: Indian Army shows a demo of how Indian Air Defence systems, including the upgraded L-70 Air Defence Guns, saved the Golden Temple in Amritsar and cities of Punjab from Pakistani missile and drone attacks. — ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2025 Pakistan responded as expected, but not with soldiers. It responded with drones and missiles, aiming to terrorise Indian civilians and hit religious places. 'We were fully prepared and thwarted their plan. Our alert air defence gunners shot down all drones and missiles aimed at the Golden Temple. We did not allow even a scratch,' said Major General Seshadri. This was one of the first instances when the religious site came under direct threat from coordinated aerial attacks. Defence officials did not mince words. One of them said that the Pakistan Army lacks the courage or capability to face Indian forces directly. 'Hence, it uses terrorism as a national policy and resorts to unmanned aerial weapons launched from its own soil,' the officer said. #WATCH | Amritsar, Punjab: Major General Kartik C Seshadri, GOC, 15 Infantry Division says "Indian Army is a professional, righteous and responsible force which in spite of grave provocations, has always responded in a calibrated and measured manner. We target only terrorists in… — ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2025 He continued, 'Drones and long-range missiles were launched. Indian military installations, civilian population centers, including innocent women and children, were also not spared. They even targeted our faith. Pakistan touched a new low.' He emphasized that Golden Temple witnessed a 'surfeit of drone and missile attacks, all thwarted by our Army air defence gunners'. #WATCH | Amrisar, Punjab: Soldiers of the Panther Division of Indian Army say "...We are representatives of the will enter and kill the enemy from within, now we don't fear anyone. There is revenge in the mind, there is passion in the heart and pride in the eyes. To… — ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2025 As the skies lit up with defence operations, locals near the border stood with the Army. A farmer from a Punjab border village, Jasbir Singh said, 'Our Army is the pride of our nation. They protected us and the Golden Temple. We stood with them in the fields. They kept their promise.' Meanwhile, soldiers from the Panther Division expressed fierce determination. 'We are representatives of the panther. We will enter and kill the enemy from within. We do not fear anyone. There is revenge in the mind, there is passion in the heart and pride in the eyes. To uproot terrorism, India has launched Operation Sindoor,' said an officer. The message is crystal clear: India's faith will not fall to missiles.
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
What is air defence grid used by the Indian Army to protect Golden Temple from Pakistan's attack?
A senior Indian Army officer on Monday confirmed that Pakistan attempted to target the Golden Temple in Amritsar on the intervening night of May 7-8 after Indian forces took down terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) with precision strikes. Pakistan's failed strike, which included drones and long-range missiles, was intercepted by the Indian military's elaborate air defence grid. What is it? According to the Army, the Golden Temple was one of the primary targets in what officials are calling a "massive air assault" launched by Pakistan in the early hours of May 8. Also Read | India's indigenous Akashteer system played 'the most important' role during Operation Sindoor: Army official 'Knowing that the Pakistan Army does not have any legitimate targets, we anticipated it would target Indian military installations and civilian areas, including religious places. Of these, the Golden Temple appeared to be the most prominent (target). We also received credible intelligence that it was a prime target, which we had brainstormed earlier,' Major General Kartik C Seshadri, who is commanding an infantry division in Amritsar, told ANI. The Indian Army's Air defence systems played a critical role in repelling Pakistan's misadventures. The Army on Monday showcased a demonstration of how Indian Air Defence systems, including the AKASH missile system, L-70 Air Defence Guns, saved the Golden Temple in Amritsar and cities of Punjab from Pakistan's missile and drone attacks. Also Read | What sets Operation Sindoor apart from past strikes on Pak-backed terrorism? Army veterans answer 'In the hours of darkness, Pakistan carried out a massive air assault with drones and long-range missiles. We were fully prepared since we had anticipated this. Our alert army air defence gunners thwarted Pakistan Army's nefarious designs and shot down all drones and missiles targeted at the Golden Temple. Thus, not allowing even a scratch to our holy Golden Temple,' Seshadri added. As per Bharat Electronics Ltd, the Akash air defence missile system is a medium range, surface-to-air missile system which provides area air defence against multifarious air threats to mobile, semi-mobile and static vulnerable forces and areas. The system has cutting-edge features with cross-country mobility. Also Read | 'Even if Pakistan relocates general HQ...': Top Army officer reveals India's prowess after 'Operation Sindoor' The real-time multi-sensor data processing and threat evaluation enable simultaneous engagement of multiple targets from any direction. The entire system is flexible, upscalable and can be operated in group and autonomous modes. It employs command guidance and relies on phased array guidance radar to guide the missile till intercept, it added. L-70 air defence guns were also deployed by the Indian Army around the Golden Temple. It includes an integrated Fire Control System with Optronic Sight Consisting of Eye Safe LRF, DLTV and TI, autonomous ballistic computation with round-to-round correction for muzzle velocity and TILT with TC/FC radars. On May 7, Islamabad launched aerial attacks using drones and missiles at multiple towns and cities in India, including Awantipora, Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Pathankot, Phalodi, Uttarlai, Nal and Bhuj. India's AD systems, combining the assets of the IAF, army, and navy, performed with exceptional synergy, fended off all the attacks. India's AD grid operated with multiple weapons across four levels, depending on the distance of the incoming target. The weapons that formed part of the grid included the S-400 system, medium-range surface-to-air missile system (Barak 8), the Pechora air defence system, Spyder quick-reaction missiles, and upgraded L-70 and Zu-23-2B guns. The attack by Pakistan on India came in the wake of Operation Sindoor, India's retaliatory offensive on nine targeted terror camps deep inside Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed 26 lives. Operation Sindoor struck key terrorist hubs like Muridke (Lashkar-e-Taiba HQ) and Bahawalpur (Jaish-e-Mohammed HQ) with surgical precision and killed more than 100 terrorists in the strikes.
