[🇮🇳] No surprise Pakistan sounded for ceasefire’: Air war historian Tom Cooper says conflict 'clear-cut victory' for India

[Krishna with Flute]

How Op Sindoor exposed Pakistan air defence, Chinese armaments​

Story by Pradip R. Sagar
• 20h•
3 min read

Tracing the arc of the US-India relationship© Provided by India Today
India's decisive strategic and operational triumph in Operation Sindoor has laid bare critical weaknesses in Pakistan's military, which is heavily reliant on Chinese-supplied technology. A month after the conflict, which ended with Pakistan seeking a ceasefire within four days, a critical review of the operation has highlighted the inadequacy of Pakistan's air defence systems, particularly the Chinese-made HQ-9 and HQ-16, against India's advanced missile technology and electronic warfare capabilities.

Military observers claim Pakistan's $3 million-per-unit HQ-9 surface-to-air missile system, touted as a cornerstone of its air defence, failed miserably to detect or intercept India's BrahMos and SCALP missiles.

Chinese defence analysts and social media lambasted Pakistani personnel as "mute spectators", pointing to operational inefficiencies and lack of skill as key contributors to the debacle.


Analysis also established that Indian forces, leveraging superior missile technology, satellite intelligence and electronic warfare, penetrated Pakistan's defences with ease, targeting key military installations. Indian loitering munitions humiliated Pakistan's air defence network by destroying several HQ-9 batteries, exacerbating losses of fighter jets, surveillance aircraft, drones and radar sites

On May 15, Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) admitted that the BrahMos missile's unpredictable trajectory rendered it nearly impossible to intercept, a statement echoed by Chinese Communist Party outlets. The HQ-9's failure stemmed from technical limitations, poor integration into Pakistan's defence network and inadequate operator training.

Chinese analysts have criticised Pakistan's deployment of the HQ-9 air defence system, citing inadequate training, poor network integration, and lack of real-time coordination as key factors in its failure. The HQ-9's design, influenced by older Russian systems like the S-300, has raised concerns about its reliability against modern, high-speed missiles.



Despite upgrades, the system underperformed against Indian missile technology, sparking doubts about Chinese defence exports' credibility and the HQ-9's effectiveness in high-intensity conflicts.

This critique highlights the challenges of deploying advanced defence systems, particularly when training and integration are inadequate. The HQ-9's performance has implications for China's defence export reputation and the system's viability in modern warfare scenarios.

The HQ-9B, with a reduced engagement range of 250-300 km, and the truck-mounted HQ-16, with limited mobility, proved ill-equipped to counter supersonic, low-flying missiles like the BrahMos. These shortcomings echo past failures, including India's unopposed 2019 Balakot airstrike and a 2022 incident where a BrahMos missile, accidentally fired by India, penetrated deep into Pakistani territory undetected.



Operation Sindoor also saw India's air defence systems and electronic warfare capabilities neutralise Pakistan's drone fleet, crippling its offensive and surveillance operations. In response, Pakistan is planning to bolster its drone arsenal with Chinese Wing Loong series combat drones, aiming to establish a dedicated drone brigade.

Stung by the defeat, Pakistan is aggressively pursuing military modernisation, doubling down on Chinese and Turkish technology while diversifying with a $9 billion arms deal with Russia. The proposed Russian package includes tanks, air defence systems, warships, Mi-26T2 combat helicopters, and possibly MiG-35 fighter jets.

Pakistan is also set to acquire China's HQ-19 ballistic missile defence system and 40 J-35A stealth fighters starting 2026, alongside efforts to improve operator training and coordination to address multi-layered threats.


The HQ-9's dismal performance has not only exposed Pakistan's operational deficiencies but also dented China's reputation as a reliable arms exporter. Modelled partly on Russia's S-300, the HQ-9 and its variants have been questioned for their effectiveness against modern, high-speed, precision-guided missiles, raising doubts about their reliability in high-intensity conflicts.

India's dominance in Operation Sindoor underscores its technological and strategic edge even as Pakistan scrambles to rebuild its shattered defences. The conflict serves as a warning to nations relying on Chinese military hardware as India's advanced capabilities continue to reshape the regional power balance.

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[Lulldapull]

Indian musalman and Israeli girl discuss recent Ind/Pak events.



@Vsdoc @Krishna with Flute @Lulldapull @Mainerik

Israheeli looks hendu-pak no?

Look.......lol

 

[Sharma Ji]

Israheeli looks hendu-pak no?

Look.......lol

A lot of them do, a surprisingly racially diverse lot.. arab, desi (north), latino type bhot hain, full gora/slav type bhi hain.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

Side that sees first prevails': Top IAF officer says BrahMos, SCALP have rendered geographical barriers meaningless​

'Side that sees first prevails': Top IAF officer says BrahMos, SCALP have rendered geographical barriers meaningless
In an assessment of how modern warfare has reshaped military doctrine, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Deputy Chief of Air Staff, on Wednesday said that weapons like SCALP, BrahMos, and HAMMER have fundamentally altered the traditional notions of distance and vulnerability, rendering geographical barriers "almost meaningless."

Speaking at the Surveillance and Electro Optics India seminar, Air Marshal Dixit underlined the pivotal role of real-time situational awareness in contemporary conflicts. "When we look at global conflicts commencing from Armenia-Azerbaijan to Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas, and to our own experiences in Operation Sindoor, one truth emerges with crystal clarity: the side that sees first, sees farthest and sees most accurately, prevails,” he said. "This axiom has guided military thinking for centuries, but never has it been more relevant than in our current era of precision warfare and multi-domain operations."

He referred to India's own Operation Sindoor as a reflection of this new reality, noting that it underscored the urgency of deep surveillance capabilities. "This brings me to the critical importance of deep surveillance in contemporary warfare. The lessons from Operation Sindoor have reinforced what military strategists have long understood but perhaps not fully appreciated until now. Modern warfare, thanks to technology, has fundamentally altered the relationship between distance and vulnerability,” he said.


Expanding on this, Dixit stated that it has given a new meaning to simultaneity and non-linearity. "The existing principles of war are being challenged, and new ones are emerging. Earlier, the horizon marked the limit of immediate threat. Today, precision-guided munitions like SCALP, BrahMos, and HAMMER have rendered geographical barriers almost meaningless, as strikes with BVR AAMs and supersonic AGMs have become commonplace."

Air Marshal Dixit stressed that surveillance and electro-optic technologies have moved from being mere force multipliers to the cornerstone of operational planning. "As someone who has witnessed this transformation firsthand, I can attest that we stand at the cusp of a revolution that will redefine how we perceive, process, and project power in the 21st century."

He highlighted how the battlefield itself is being redefined by these advances. "When weapons can strike targets hundreds of kilometres away with pinpoint accuracy, the traditional concepts of front, rear and flanks combat zones and depth areas all become irrelevant. What we call the front and the theatre merge into one," he said.


"This new reality demands that we extend our surveillance envelope far beyond what previous generations could have even imagined. We must detect, identify and track potential threats not when they approach our borders, but when they are still in their staging areas, airfields and bases, deep within adversary territory. This existed as a concept even earlier but today we have the means to realise it,” he added.

Underscoring the compression of timeframes in modern warfare, he noted that traditional decision-making cycles are now too slow. "When hypersonic missiles can traverse hundreds of kilometres in minutes and drone swarms can reach their targets before traditional decision-making processes can respond, real-time or near-real-time surveillance becomes not just advantageous but essential for survival," Air Marshal Dixit said.

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[Bagheera0084]

I too was taken aback. And quite put off too ki yahan mai serious discussion kar raha hun aur ye pillu liberties le raha hai.

That's why I immediately disengaged, if you noticed.

A sobering thought. If this is my reaction then other think the sane when i speak (type) like this.

No wonder I get banned everywhere.

My obnoxiousness is more difficult to tolerate than the draw and value of my intellect and wisdom through participation.

Ye kya doctor? Apna khud ka style nahi jante? It is worrisome that if you are wrong in one or two or three matters, you could be wrong in other matters also.

 

[Vsdoc]

Ye kya doctor? Apna khud ka style nahi jante? It is worrisome that if you are wrong in one or two or three matters, you could be wrong in other matters also.

Why is it worrisome

Teri zindagi chalti hai meri bhavishyavani aur kahani pe?

Chal bajoo.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

This was a war like never fought before. World's 12 most powerful country fought with world's 4 th most powerful country and third most powerful airforce. This war was unique in many ways and Pakistan was bought down on knees within just less than 4 days. World saw a war fought with modern warfare principles. Massive numbers of drones were used. An unimaginable precessions strike was demonstrated. World saw an unimaginable counter drone offensive with an accuracy never seen before over a very large theatre. This war changed the balance of power in Asia completely. Low cost frugal weapons displayed unimaginable accuracy which amazed many military think tanks across the world. World witnessed a rise of peaceful yet very powerful nation called India. We proved that our advocacy of peace has come from our confidence in our capabilities not from our weakness. World witnessed the real power and the fake power made out of paid propaganda. Many nations in the world are now in queue to buy Indian weapons and collaborate with India in weapons manufacturing.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

Operation Sindoor: Rafales, Sukhois Shot Down Pakistan’s JF-17s, Mirages In Dogfight; India Set To Reveal Smoking Gun Evidence​

Operation Sindoor: Rafales, Sukhois Shot Down Pakistan’s JF-17s, Mirages In Dogfight; India Set To Reveal Smoking Gun Evidence
New Delhi: Clouds parted. Secrets spilled. Under the cloak of night, the Indian Air Force launched a mission that would rattle Islamabad to its core. It was Operation Sindoor, a storm that tore through terror camps and left Pakistani war machines in flames.

On the intervening night of May 6 and 7, the air throbbed with tension. Rafale and Sukhoi jets soared out of Indian bases. Precision. Power. Payloads locked. Targets across the border marked in red – terror launchpads nestled in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).


Airstrikes hit like thunderclaps. Explosions followed. Camp after camp, bunker after bunker flattened. Over 100 terrorists eliminated in minutes. The April 22 Pahalgam’s bloodshed avenged.

But the night did not end there.

Pakistan scrambled its jets. JF-17s. Mirages. J-10Cs. Interceptors on a collision course. The dogfight was brutal. Aerial combat at lightning speed. Engines screamed. Missiles launched. Skies lit up.

And then silence. Flames fell from the heavens. Pakistan’s jets crashed and burned.

Sources inside India’s top defence establishment confirm that enemy aircraft shot down mid-air. India watched. Recorded. Tracked every move with AWACS and ground-based radar.

The wreckage? Scattered across the rugged terrain of PoK. And India has the evidence. High-resolution satellite images. Infrared signatures. Radio logs. Visual confirmation from cockpit feeds.

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