Operation Sindoor was a significant military mission carried out by India over four days, targeting terrorist camps and military bases deep inside Pakistan. Beyond its immediate military objectives, the operation highlighted India’s growing technological edge in defence, demonstrating the country’s capability to conduct precise, powerful, and coordinated strikes while maintaining minimal collateral damage.

Indian Army’s Multi-Tiered Air Defence Performance:

The success of Operation SINDOOR was partly due to a unique blend of multiple defensive layers:

• Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems
• Shoulder-Fired Weapons
• Legacy Air Defence Weapons
• Modern Air Defence Weapon Systems

This multi-tiered approach created successive lines of defence from the international boundary inward, safeguarding airfields and logistic installations from Pakistan’s retaliatory air attacks on May 9-10, 2025. These systems, built over the past decade with continuous government investment, acted as force multipliers, preserving civilian and military infrastructure across India.

Strategic Role of Space: ISRO’s Satellite Network:

India’s space agency ISRO played a vital supporting role. At least 10 satellites were continuously engaged in monitoring India’s northern borders and 7,000 km coastline, providing real-time surveillance and early warning.

These satellites enhance the operational reach of drone and air defence systems by offering persistent surveillance and intelligence, essential for timely threat detection and response. The integration of space-based assets into India’s defence ecosystem exemplifies the country’s comprehensive approach to national security.

This extraordinary accuracy was achieved through sophisticated guidance and navigation systems integrating both ground and space-based assets:

• NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation): India’s indigenous satellite navigation system providing positional accuracy within 10 to 20 centimeters.
• Earth Observation Satellites: The Cartosat, RISAT, and EOS series offer high-resolution imagery capable of identifying objects as small as 25 to 30 centimeters.

Together, these systems enable Indian weapons to achieve sub-meter targeting precision. For example, BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, likely used in the operation, incorporate state-of-the-art guidance developed through years of indigenous research by organizations such as DRDO and ISRO.

The emphasis on guidance and navigation was recently underscored when it was identified as one of 75 priority technology areas during DRDO’s Anusandhan Chintan Shivir in June 2023.

Lethality and Destructive Power:

The destruction observed in satellite images of terrorist hideouts and Pakistani air bases confirmed the lethal effectiveness of Indian weaponry. Large craters and complete annihilation of targets underscored the reliability and power of propulsion systems, warheads, and fuses developed through India’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), a pioneering initiative led by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Moreover, India continues to advance in this field, developing technologies such as:

• Deep Penetration Warheads
• Green Explosives
• Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs): Laser-based systems capable of damaging or disabling targets, likely used to neutralize incoming Pakistani drones during the operation.

In 2022, DEWs were officially recognized by the Defence Ministry as a key sector for industry-led development, with demonstrations of laser-based DEWs showcased during the Republic Day Parade in 2024.

Indigenous Radars and Air Defence: 

While the Russian S-400 missile system has received public attention, India’s air defence network comprises a sophisticated blend of indigenous radars and missile systems that operated seamlessly during Operation Sindoor.

Key radar systems include:

• Rajendra Radar: A multifunction fire control radar capable of tracking multiple targets simultaneously and guiding missiles.
• Rohini 3D Medium-Range Surveillance Radar
• 3D Low-Level Lightweight Radars
• Low-Level Transportable Radars (LLTR)

These radars provide critical battlefield awareness, enabling the tracking of enemy drones and airborne threats with remarkable precision. Research at DRDO continues to enhance radar capabilities through AI integration, signal processing, foliage penetration radars, and stealth detection technologies.

The Akash Missile System:

A central component of India’s defensive success was the Akash missile system. Developed under DRDO’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, Akash is a mobile, short-to-medium-range surface-to-air missile system, offering protection for critical infrastructure and vulnerable areas. Its key features include:

• Ability to engage multiple aerial targets simultaneously — aircraft, missiles, and UAVs.
• 96% indigenous content, with over 250 Indian industries contributing to production.
• Mobile platform allowing quick deployment and redeployment.
• A powerful ramjet engine propelling missiles at speeds up to Mach 2.5.
• Rajendra radar’s precise 3D target acquisition and tracking with 80 km coverage.
• A 55 kg pre-fragmented warhead activated by a proximity fuse, enabling effective damage even without a direct hit.
• Electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) that provide resilience against enemy jamming and electronic warfare.

India is actively developing improved variants:

• Akash Prime: Enhanced reliability in high-altitude and low-temperature environments, equipped with an indigenous active radio frequency seeker.
• Akash-NG (New Generation): Extended range up to 70 km, sleeker design, lighter weight, canisterised for improved storage and handling, and designed to intercept stealthy, highly maneuverable targets.

Notably, in December 2020, the Indian government approved the export of Akash missiles, signaling international confidence in the system’s capabilities.

The Growing Role of Unmanned Vehicles:

The drone sector has emerged as a critical component of India’s defence modernization. The Drone Federation India (DFI), representing over 550 drone companies and 5,500 pilots, is driving India’s ambition to become a global drone hub by 2030.

Industry Growth and Key Players

• Alpha Design Technologies (Bengaluru) collaborates with Israel’s Elbit Systems to produce the SkyStriker drone.
• Tata Advanced Systems provides integrated defence and security solutions.
• Paras Defence & Space Technologies specializes in indigenous drone development.
• IG Drones focuses on defence applications and services such as drone surveying and mapping, collaborating with the Indian Army and various governments.

India’s drone market is projected to reach $11 billion by 2030, accounting for over 12% of the global market. The government’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme launched in 2021 with an allocation of Rs 120 crore over three years has accelerated domestic manufacturing and innovation in drone and counter-drone technology.

Operation Sindoor marked a significant shift in India-Pakistan conflicts, with drones and other unmanned systems playing pivotal roles. Experts highlight that the future of warfare will increasingly rely on the integration of manned and unmanned systems operating in coordination.

Policy, Innovation, and Defence Manufacturing:

India’s defence exports reached a record Rs 24,000 crore in FY 2024-25, with ambitions to hit Rs 50,000 crore by 2029 and emerge as the world’s largest defence exporter by 2047.

The “Make in India” initiative has been instrumental in this growth:

• Indigenous defence production reached ₹1.27 lakh crore in FY 2023-24.
• Exports surged 34-fold since 2013-14.
• Private sector participation and government-backed innovation platforms such as iDEX and SRIJAN have enhanced R&D and manufacturing.
• Defence Industrial Corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu further boost ecosystem development.

Major indigenous platforms include the Dhanush artillery gun, Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), Arjun Main Battle Tank, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), and naval assets such as aircraft carriers and submarines.

Conclusion:

Operation Sindoor is a testament to India’s remarkable progress in developing and integrating indigenous defence technologies. The operation’s success reflects:

• Decades of foundational work in satellite navigation, missile guidance, and propulsion.
• Development of sophisticated radar and missile defence systems.
• Rapid incorporation of emerging technologies such as Directed Energy Weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles.
• Strategic emphasis on self-reliance with over 96% indigenous content in key systems like the Akash missile.

Continued investment in research, innovation, and ecosystem building will be essential to sustain and advance India’s defence capabilities in an era of rapidly evolving threats and technologies.