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India Today
10-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Visual explainer: Significance of Pakistan military sites hit by Indian forces
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has hit at least six military and aviation sites in Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh provinces overnight, damaging key infrastructure that could have been used against India. So, what's the significance of these facilities? What critical equipment and facilities do they have?Pakistan air force bases in Rafiqui, Murid, Nur Khan, Chunian in Punjab and Sukkur in Sindh province were targeted by Indian missiles, the government said. The run of an airport in Rahim Yar Khan – that is situated within 100 km of the International Border – was also damaged with the missile impact, leaving a large crater. advertisementUsing a viral video and satellite images, India Today has geolocated the potential location on the Rahim Yar Khan airport's runway where the Indian missile fell on the intervening night of May 9 and May 10. India appears to have also hit the runway of Mushaf airbase in Sargodha, according to satellite imagery captured by Landsat satellite at around 11:20 am on Saturday. The attack on this air base was not announced in a press conference held by the government around an hour ago. advertisement Nur Khan air base: The most important of these bases is the one in Nur Khan, Pakistan Punjab. It's home to Pakistan's main transport squadrons and is used for logistical and strategic airlift operations. Transport aircraft like C-130 Hercules and Saab 2000, and IL-78 mid-air refuelers along with aircraft to ferry VIPs. Nur Khan air base also houses a pilot training school and an aircraft maintenance facility. It is responsible for securing Pakistan's skies around Islamabad and the northern regions. This air base is essential for rapid deployment and mobility. Murid air base: It serves as a key facility for maintaining the operational readiness of Pakistan's air assets in the region bordering India. It is home to a fleet of fighter jets and drones. Shahpar 1, Shahpar 2, Burraq, Falco, Bayraktar TB2S, Bayraktar Akinci, CH-4, and Wing Loong 2 are among Pakistan's high-end drone stationed at this air base. During a special briefing on the escalating conflict, Colonel Sophia Qureshi stated that Pakistan attempted to strike 26 strategic sites throughout the night, including air bases and transport hubs. A high-speed missile was also fired at an airbase in Punjab at around 1.40 am, while attacks on civilian infrastructure were reported at the medical centres and school premises near Srinagar, Awantipora, and Udhampur airbases. Colonel Qureshi highlighted that Pakistan persistently engaged India's western front using drones, fighter aircraft, and long-range artillery. Indian forces, maintaining a posture of restraint, responded only against "pre-identified military targets", including technical infrastructure, command and control centres, radar installations, and weapon storage sites. These included strikes on radar sites at Pasrur and the Sialkot aviation base using precision-guided ammunition launched from fighter InTrending Reel
NDTV
10-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Rafiqui, Murid, Rawalpindi: How India Chose Which Pak Airbases To Strike
New Delhi: Fighter jets of the India Air Force targeted Pakistan Air Force's bases at Rafiqui, Murid and Chaklala early this morning to counter Pakistan's reckless drone and missile attacks targeting civilian areas and military infrastructure in India's western sector. In a government briefing, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said India's precision attacks only targeted military targets. "Pakistan military targets at Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur and Chunian were engaged using air-launched precision weapons from our fighter aircraft. Radar sites at Pasrur and Sialkot aviation base were also targeted using precision munitions. While carrying out these responses, India ensured minimum collateral damage," she said. India chose targets carefully. The objective was to cripple Pakistan's capability to launch aerial attacks using drones and fighter jets. The attack on these key air force centres has likely hit Pakistan's air reconnaissance and long-range strike capabilities. Pakistan Air Force Base, Nur Khan The Nur Khan air base, earlier known as PAF base, Chaklala, is located at Rawalpindi. This airbase is the nerve centre of Pakistan's aerial mobility and serves as the headquarters of its Air Mobility Command. According to officials in the Indian Air Force, the Nur Khan airbase played a key role in coordinating the cross-border drone and missile attacks by Pakistan in the last 72 hours. This airbase houses a Saab 2000 airborne early warning and control aircraft that is believed to have played a key role in Pakistan's aerial attacks on Indian cities. Pakistan Air Force Base, Rafiqui The Pakistan Air Force base at Rafiqui is in Punjab province. It is home to advanced fighter squadrons of Mirage and JF-17 aircraft and is a training centre for missions in Punjab and Kashmir. The past few days have been frenetic air activity involving fighter jets of the two countries and the Rafiqui airbase is likely to have played a key role in Pakistan's aerial attacks on India. Targeting this airbase was aimed at disrupting Pakistan's attack capabilities. Rafiqui, like Murid and Chaklala, was targeted with air-launched precision weapons. Pakistan Air Force Base, Murid The Murid airbase, located in Pakistan's Punjab, is the headquarters of Pakistan's drone operations. This airbase houses Pakistan's homemade drone Shahpar-I, and the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci. Over the past two days, Pakistan has sent hundreds of drones across the border. Many of these were unarmed, ostensibly sent for intelligence gathering and to identify Indian positions. Some of them were, however, armed. Most of these drones were taken down by the Indian air defence system. During today's briefing, Wing Commander Singh said the Indian armed forces are ready and all hostile actions have been effectively countered. "Indian armed forces reiterate their commitment to non-escalation, provided it is reciprocated by the Pakistan military." Pakistan's reckless aerial attacks follow India's precision airstrikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir under Operation Sindoor, launched to avenge the Pahalgam terror attacks that left 26 innocents dead.
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First Post
09-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Did India down Pakistan's AWACS? Why losing this surveillance jet could be a big blow to enemy
Amid an escalating standoff, India reportedly shot down Pakistan's AWACS, the Airborne Warning and Control System. These surveillance jets are critical to air combat, and losing one of them delivers a big blow to the neighbour read more The Pakistan Air Force operates a fleet of nine Saab 2000 Erieye Airborne Early. Some reports in the media say one such aircraft has been shot down. Image courtesy: Saab The India-Pakistan standoff has escalated. On Thursday night, the Indian forces began a counteroffensive after drones and missiles from across the border attempted to hit the Indian military installations along the western and northern borders. There were blackouts in 15 cities amid the barrage of projectiles, targeted at Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan. India once again thwarted the attack. It destroyed drones and missiles. But that is not all. The Indian forces reportedly shot down Islamabad's Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. This could deliver a blow to Pakistan's air surveillance and battlefield coordination capabilities. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The AWACS was shot down inside Pakistan's Punjab province, according to a report by India Today. However, there has been no official confirmation about this. What are AWACS? AWACS, the Airborne Warning and Control System, is a mobile, long-range radar surveillance and control centre, which is critical for air defence. The radar system is usually mounted on a large aircraft platform and is used to detect, track and monitor aerial and surface contacts over vast distances. It's like a flying command station that directs fighter jets and air defence systems, and also conducts surveillance during combat. The AWACS doubles up as an early warning system that coordinates air operations. It sends real-time intelligence to command centres and interceptors on land, at sea and in air. This airborne system is crucial to modern warfare, as it performs multiple roles and is dubbed the military's 'eyes in the skies'. The system was originally developed by the US Air Force and mounted on a modified Boeing 707 aircraft, referred to as the Boeing E-3 Sentry. What are the key functions of AWACS? AWACS monitor a nation's airspace in real-time. The aircraft provides situational awareness of friendly, neutral and hostile activity, and command and control of an area of responsibility. It helps in early detection, tracking hostile drones, missiles and aircraft before they enter the radar range of ground stations. The AWACS also work as an airborne control tower for friendly aircraft and guides them toward or away from targets or threats. It helps in electronic surveillance by intercepting the radio frequencies of the enemy, jamming signals, and detecting communication patterns on the battlefield. AWACS are essential to aerial combat in modern warfare. Image courtesy Saab How do AWACS operate? According to the US Air Force, the original E3 Sentry is a modified commercial airframe with a rotating radar dome fitted above the fuselage of the two struts. This dome – called the 'radome' or 'rotodome' – helps in long-range detection of more than 375.5 kilometres. The radar, combined with an identification friend or foe, or IFF, subsystem, can detect, identify and track enemy and friendly low-flying aircraft by eliminating ground clutter returns that confuse other radar systems. Today, other countries develop AWACS inspired by this model. The aircraft is equipped with multiple workstations, where specialists track threats, assign aircraft to intercept, and coordinate missions in real time, according to a report by Moneycontrol. The E-3 Sentry is an airborne warning and control system, or AWACS. Image courtesy: US Air Force AWACS have secure satellite communication and data links for seamless coordination with fighter jets, ground-based radars, surface-to-surface missiles and even naval ships. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Several advanced AWACS are fitted with self-protection jammers and countermeasures. They have radar warning receivers, flare dispensers and decoys to dodge the threat of missiles, the report says. What AWACS does Pakistan have? Pakistan reportedly has nine AWACS aircraft. It purchased four Saab 2000 Erieye planes from Sweden in 2006. Between 2017 and 2002, it added more Erieye planes to its arsenal. The last of the aircraft was delivered to the country on July 2, 2024. From China, which supplies it with major military equipment, it bought four ZDK-03 AWACS in 2008, which were retired last year. Saab 2000 Erieye boasts of an effective surveillance area of 500,000 sq km horizontally and over 60,000 ft vertically. Its radar detects and tracks objects quickly with high precision and a high update rate. S-band technology ensures top performance in all weather conditions, aerospace company Saab says on its website. With only the Erieye operational, this is the AWACS India likely shot down. Pakistan purchased Saab 2000 Erieye planes from Sweden in 2006. Image courtesy: Saab What does the loss of AWACS mean for Pakistan? The shooting down of AWACS could be another setback for Pakistan as tensions escalate with India. It would impair the Pakistan Air Force's air surveillance, as this system is critical to identifying incoming threats. The India-Pakistan standoff is being fought in the skies, and taking down AWACS gives New Delhi yet another upper hand. It reflects India's aggression – it is not only intercepting threats and foiling attacks, but also disabling enemy assets. With inputs from agencies
