Latest news with #Islamabad-sponsored
India Today
11 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
India vs Pakistan: The battle for air superiority
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated June 9, 2025)As the dust settles over the India-Pakistan conflict—triggered by India's missile strikes on nine terrorist hubs in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province in response to the Islamabad-sponsored terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April—it is time for a reckoning of how the two adversaries fared. Uniquely, over four intense, dramatic days (May 7-10), the theatre of war was the skies on either side of the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border. Airpower was the key factor, manifested not in the dogfights of yore, but their modern equivalent, comprising precise strikes, electronic warfare and smart coordination between aircraft, ground radars and airborne early warning and control system (AEW&CS)/ Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. Drones and missiles were used aplenty by Pakistan, and India's multi-layered air defence (AD) system rose to the occasion like never before. According to the Indian Army, its air defence units neutralised nearly 800-900 Pakistani drones during Operation early on May 7, the Pakistani air defence had no immediate answer to the loitering munitions/ kamikaze drones, and SCALP/ Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles and HAMMER bombs fired from the Rafales of the Indian Air Force (IAF) that destroyed the terrorist camps, the Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) J-10CEs, F-16s and JF-17 fighter jets did pose a threat. Indeed, Pakistan has claimed—without definitive proof or explicit acknowledgement from India—that several Indian jets were lost. Significantly, wary of each other's missiles, particularly those launched beyond visual range (BVR), both forces operated well within their respective air space. However, on May 8 and 10, after Indian missile and drone strikes took out vital Pakistani air defence radars in Lahore and Karachi—one precious PAF AWACS was reportedly lost too—its air defence systems were rendered toothless, largely driving the PAF from the skies. So, after Pakistan targeted Indian air bases and military installations with drones and missiles on May 9 and 10—almost all of which were intercepted and shot to pieces—it was helpless before India's retaliatory barrage of SCALP and BrahMos supersonic missiles, fired by aircraft and from the ground on eight Pakistani air bases, including the Nur Khan base near Rawalpindi, the general headquarters of the Pakistan army. Thus chastened, Pakistan is said to have called for a Sindoor was a demonstration of Indian precision and reach, and showcased India's capability to strike any target in Pakistan at will. Frank O'Donnell, senior research adviser at the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network and non-resident fellow at the Stimson Center, says that it signals India's ability for precision strikes on targets within each base and suggests its implicit capacity to incapacitate these bases if desired. 'The very short flight time of India's air-to-ground missiles, and especially its reported use of the supersonic BrahMos, leveraged the continuing challenge for Pakistan of operationalising missile defence systems and the extreme difficulty of blocking cruise missile strikes. However, this challenge is also shared by India,' he says. OPPOSING AIR WARRIORSThough in recent decades India has held a qualitative and numerical advantage in air superiority over Pakistan, the latter's acquisition of sophisticated Chinese aircraft has led analysts to suggest that the technological disparity is India's frontline fighter jets, the Mirage 2000H, armed with the Thales RDY radar (range: 100-130 km) and MICA missiles (both beyond visual range or BVR and short range or SR, with a reach of 60-80 km), excels in precision strikes but has an ageing airframe. The MiG-29UPG, with Zhuk-ME radar (range: 120 km) and R-77 missiles (BVR, with a range of 80-100 km) is agile, but lags in networking. The Su-30MKI, equipped with a Bars PESA radar (or a Passive Electronically Scanned Array radar with a 200 km range) and BrahMos missiles, offers long-range strike capability but has a large radar cross-section, meaning it can be detected by enemy radars. The Rafale has an RBE2 AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar and SPECTRA electronic warfare suite, which ensures data fusion across electromagnetic, laser and infrared domains to protect it from threats. Both PESA and AESA radars can track multiple targets at once. The Rafale, armed with Meteor and SCALP missiles and HAMMER precision-guided munition, is India's most advanced jet, but its small fleet size limits the other side, Pakistan's Chinese J-10C fighters, armed with PL-15E BVR missiles, and equipped with dual-pulse motors and AESA seekers, mounted a challenge for the IAF. The J-10CE's AESA radar and its integration with Saab 2000 Erieye AEWC enables long-range engagements, while the JF-17's KLJ-7A radar is less capable but still effective with networked Sindoor drew global attention to a possible aerial duel between the Rafale and J-10C fighters—both 4.5-generation multirole fighters. 'Rafale is a proven platform, as it has been used in combat in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq and Syria, while J-10 C has not seen any combat,' says a key IAF aviation experts claim that Pakistan's J-10C, manufactured by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, lags behind the Rafale, made by the French firm Dassault, in armament. The J-10C has 11 hardpoints (mounting points to carry weapons) and a six-tonne load capacity. The Rafale has 14 hardpoints and a nine-tonne capacity, including nuclear-capable munitions. The Rafale's 24-tonne take-off weight exceeds the J-10C's 19 tonnes, offering greater payload flexibility, though the J-10C reaches a higher 18,000-metre ceiling, compared to the Rafale's 16,000 metres. The J-10C excels in high-altitude performance; the Rafale dominates in versatility and range. Experts say that the Rafale holds a slight edge in terms of sensor fusion and missile performance. However, uncertainty persists over Pakistan's unverified claims of downing Indian jets, including evidence does not confirm that a Rafale was downed by a J-10C-fired PL-15E missile. However, the loss of at least one Rafale demands an urgent review of technical and tactical vulnerabilities,' notes O'Donnell. He adds that Pakistan and China have valuable combat data about western aircraft, aiding their fighter modernisation, while Pakistan's swift acquisition of Chinese platforms outpaces India's sluggish defence procurement, exacerbating the IAF's declining squadron analyst Shreyas Deshmukh, research associate at the Delhi Policy Group, says that the Rafale vs J-10C comparison reflects a contest for battlefield superiority, given their similar capabilities. Though debris, including PL-15E remnants and possible MICA missile fragments from an IAF jet, were reportedly recovered, Deshmukh asserts that 'no concrete evidence supports claims of aerial losses on either side'. INDIA'S AIR DEFENCE EDGEadvertisementFor India, the real positive to have emerged from Operation Sindoor is the overwhelming success of its integrated air defence system. The two units that synergised perfectly to nullify all projectiles hurled at India are the IAF's Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) and the army's Akashteer. The IACCS is an automated command and control system that integrates data at its control centres from air defence assets like ground-based radar, airborne sensors, AWACS/ AEW&CS, communication nodes and IAF command and control centres. The consolidated data along with real-time updates gives commanders of air defence units an overall situational awareness and full battlefield picture to respond to incoming aerial threats. Similarly, the army's Akashteer is an air defence control and reporting system comprising radars and sensors that are connected to units of its air the integration of the resources of IACCS and Akashteer, the Indian air defence threw up a layered grid. The first layer comprises counter drone systems like D4 and MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defence Systems) like Igla-M and Igla-S, while the second layer has low-level air defence (LLAD) guns like Bofors L-70 and ZSU-23-4 Schilka self-propelled system, and short-range surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) like Pechora, Tunguska and OSA-AK. The third and fourth layers have medium- and long-range SAMs like Pechora, SPYDER, the indigenous Akash and the long-range S-400 Triumf and Barak-8 missile defence systems. India's counter-unmanned aerial system (UAS) technologies also played a major role in detecting and neutralising Pakistani drones. This multi-layered air defence network not only protected Indian air bases, army installations, airports and cities, but also protected Amritsar's Golden Temple from a Pakistani drone and missile attack. In contrast, Pakistan's Chinese HQ-9 and HQ-16 air defence systems failed to detect and intercept the devastating Indian strikes on its air bases on May 10. Early on May 10, Indian strikes took out a Chinese-made LY80 air defence system using a Harpy kamikaze drone at Lahore, while a missile destroyed an HQ-9 system in Karachi. Comparative analysis also suggests that the S-400 surpasses the HQ-9 in performance. 'India's multi-layered air defence systems exhibited greater effectiveness in deployment and integration than their Pakistani counterparts,' a key defence official said. Defence analysts say that for the past two decades, as a probable counter to India's Cold Start Doctrine, which envisages short, swift strikes into Pakistan that would avoid a nuclear escalation, Pakistan has been buying mostly offensive weaponry. 'In contrast, India's strategic focus was on technological advancement and indigenous production, leading to investments in radars such as the ADTCR, Ashwini and Indra (electronically scanned array radars), sensor processing systems, jamming devices, and electronic warfare systems, including drone jammers as well as counter-battery radars,' says Deshmukh. The development of missile systems such as BrahMos and Akash, coupled with the timely procurement of the S-400, has provided India with a significant advantage in non-contact warfare, he adds. Thus, Pakistan's investment in offensive weapons lays bare its weak air defence capabilities, leaving its command and control the conflict reaffirmed that modern warfare is driven by air power, not merely in terms of aircraft but through sensors, missiles, data networks, electronic warfare and unmanned systems. 'Operation Sindoor is a testimony to the power of a capable air force,' notes a senior defence analyst. 'But no country can win future wars without continuous investment in modern air platforms and integrated defence networks.' Despite its strong showing, experts argue that India must not become complacent. The IAF's thinning squadron strength and the slow induction of next-gen air dominance fighters leave gaps that adversaries may exploit in the to India Today MagazineMust Watch
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
India's top general responds to Pakistan's claim that it downed six jets
The chief of defense staff acknowledged some "mistakes" in the standoff but emphasized that New Delhi's tactics were "rectified" In his first interview with international media since the four-day military standoff with Islamabad last month, Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan said on Saturday that India had changed its tactics after an initial "mistake" and established an advantage over Pakistan. "What is important is not a jet being downed but why they were being downed. The good part is that we were able to understand the tactical mistakes that we've made, remediate, and rectify them, and implement them again - we flew all our jets, again targeting [sites in Pakistan] at long range," General Chauhan told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, without providing any details regarding military losses. When asked to respond to the Pakistani military's claim that it had downed six Indian jets, he said it was "absolutely incorrect." In another interview with Reuters, General Chauhan reiterated that India had switched tactics after suffering losses on the first day of the conflict, when it launched strikes against what it called "terrorist infrastructure" sites in Pakistan on May 7. "What was important is, why did these losses occur, and what will we do after that?" he told Reuters. "So we rectified tactics and then went back on the 7th, 8th, and 10th in large numbers to hit air bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their air defenses with impunity, and carried out precision strikes," he added. New Delhi has previously rejected Islamabad's claims while refraining from commenting on alleged losses on its side. "We are in a combat scenario; losses are a part of combat. The question you must ask us is... have we achieved our objective of decimating the terrorist camps? And the answer is a thumping yes. The results are for the whole world to see," the Indian Air Force's Director General of Air Operations (DGAO) Air Marshal Bharti said, commenting on allegations that warplanes were lost during the media briefing on May 11, a day after New Delhi and Islamabad announced a ceasefire. India launched military action against targets in Pakistan on May 7 in response to the April 22 massacre of 26 people in Pahalgam, in India's Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on an Islamabad-sponsored terrorist organization.
India Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
The battle for air superiority
As the dust settles over the India-Pakistan conflict—triggered by India's missile strikes on nine terrorist hubs in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province in response to the Islamabad-sponsored terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April—it is time for a reckoning of how the two adversaries fared. Uniquely, over four intense, dramatic days (May 7-10), the theatre of war was the skies on either side of the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border. Airpower was the key factor, manifested not in the dogfights of yore, but their modern equivalent, comprising precise strikes, electronic warfare and smart coordination between aircraft, ground radars and airborne early warning and control system (AEW&CS)/ Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. Drones and missiles were used aplenty by Pakistan, and India's multi-layered air defence (AD) system rose to the occasion like never before. According to the Indian Army, its air defence units neutralised nearly 800-900 Pakistani drones during Operation Sindoor.
Mint
15-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
India bars Turkish ground-handling firm Çelebi over national security concerns
The government has withdrawn the security clearance of Turkish firm Çelebi's Indian airport services arm, citing national security risks and halting its operations at nine airports, including Delhi and Mumbai. In a statement on Thursday, the government said that the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has revoked with immediate effect security clearance of Çelebi Airport Services, which provides ground handling services at Indian airports, putting a halt to its operations in the world's fifth-largest economy. New Delhi's decision comes days after the end of a military conflict between India and Pakistan, in which Ankara had openly sided with Islamabad, and provided weapons to it. In the aftermath of India's military operations against Pakistan under Operation Sindoor, it was found out that Turkey had provided support to Pakistan. China and Azerbaijan had also backed Pakistan in the aftermath of New Delhi's Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation to Islamabad-sponsored terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam on 22 April in which 26 tourist were killed. In a media statement, Çelebi refuted all allegations and said it is a globally-operated aviation services company. "Çelebi Aviation India unequivocally refutes all allegations circulating on social media regarding the company's ownership and operations in India. The company is 65% owned by international institutional investors from across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Western Europe," it said. It added, 'Actera Partners II L.P., a Jersey-registered fund, holds 50% ownership in Çelebi Havacılık Holding A.Ş. The remaining 15% is held by Alpha Airport Services BV, a Dutch-registered entity.' Union civil aviation minister Rammohan Naidu said that national security is paramount and necessary actions were being taken to ensure there is no disruption. "We are also deploying special teams to oversee operations and address any emerging issues in real time. We will continue to uphold national security while ensuring ease of travel and cargo movement across the country," Naidu said in the statement. After BCAS's order, Delhi International Airport Ltd (Dial) and Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (Bial) in separate statements officialy severed their ties with Çelebi. Delhi International Airport said, "In compliance with a directive from BCAS, the airport has formally ended its association with Çelebi entities responsible for ground handling and cargo operations. All employees currently on the rolls of Çelebi entities for cargo and ground handling services at IGI Airport will be transitioned to the new employers with immediate effect." A Bengaluru International Airport spokesperson said: 'In compliance with the directive from BCAS, the airport is working closely with existing ground handling service providers to ensure continuity and operational stability. BIAL is actively coordinating the transition to maintain seamless airport operations.' As per the company's website, Çelebi provides ground handling support to 9 major international airports. It operates ground handling services, including at Hyderabad International Airport and Mopa in Goa. The company was also providing services to Adani Airport Holdings-operated Mumbai International Airport and Ahmedabad International Airport. The company was also providing services to Airports Authority of India-operated Cochin , Chennai and Kannur airports. Çelebi's website also highlighted that since it began operations in India, it handled 58,000 flights, 540,000 tonnes of cargo and employed 7,800 individuals. The company also said it has invested over $220 million in infrastructure developments in India. In a separate move, Adani Airport Holdings said that it had terminated its services with DragonPass, which provides access to airport lounges. "Our association with DragonPass, which provided access to airport lounges, has been terminated with immediate effect. DragonPass customers will no longer have access to lounges at Adani-managed airports. This change will have no impact on the airport lounge and travel experience for other customers," said a company spokesperson.
Hans India
27-04-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Indian merchants snap trade ties with Pakistan, condemn Pahalgam terror attack
New Delhi: Indian traders have decided to end all trade relations with Pakistan in protest against the Islamabad-sponsored terrorist attack at Kashmir's Pahalgam, said Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Sunday. The decision was taken by trade leaders from 26 states at CAIT's National Governing Council meeting in Bhubaneswar. CAIT Secretary General and Chandni Chowk MP Praveen Khandelwal said that a unanimous resolution was passed in the meeting condemning the terrorist incident in Pahalgam in the strongest terms and calling for 'a complete boycott of all trade relations with Pakistan.' The resolution stated that, in protest against the brutal killing of innocent tourists in Pahalgam, the business community has decided 'to immediately cease all forms of imports and exports with Pakistan.' Traders expressed full support for the strong actions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against terrorism and urged that the perpetrators and their supporters be given the strictest possible punishment. After the Pulwama terrorist attack in 2019, trade relations between India and Pakistan severely deteriorated, leading to a significant drop in bilateral trade. From a peak of nearly $3 billion in 2018, the trade volume fell to about $1.2 billion in 2024. Between April 2024 and January 2025, India exported about $500 million worth of goods to Pakistan, mainly pharmaceuticals, chemicals, sugar, and auto parts, while imports stood at merely $0.42 million. Now, traders have resolved to completely end this trade as well, according to a CAIT statement. 'Trade leaders emphasised that while halting trade with Pakistan may temporarily impact some exporters, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, continuing trade with or through a hostile country is completely unacceptable,' the statement said. They asserted that the trading community of India is prepared to bear any economic loss or cost necessary to uphold the unity, integrity, and security of the nation. In another resolution passed during the meeting, CAIT accused E-Commerce and Quick Commerce companies of continuously violating rules and laws, selling counterfeit products, and conspiring to destroy the businesses of small traders. CAIT demanded that the government immediately implement the E-Commerce policy and the rules framed under the Consumer Protection Act and the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy. The resolution also called for imposing a 28 per cent GST on Quick Commerce and E-Commerce deliveries, stating that such convenience should be treated as a luxury and taxed accordingly. The trade leaders urged a complete review and simplification of the GST structure. Traders demanded a comprehensive review of GST to expand the tax base and to revisit and rationalise the different tax slabs, making the system simpler and more business-friendly, the statement added.
