Largest-ever recorded surface-to-air kill: How India set a military benchmark with Operation Sindoor

Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh has delivered the most comprehensive account yet of Operation Sindoor, India’s large-scale military response against Pakistan in May.

Speaking at the 16th edition of the Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Memorial Lecture at the HAL Management Academy Auditorium in Bengaluru, Singh highlighted that the success of the operation was rooted in decisive political backing and the complete operational freedom given to the armed forces.

Launched on May 7, 2025, Operation Sindoor was triggered by the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians.

The IAF chief’s remarks come amid continued discussion over the planning, execution, and strategic outcomes of the operation.

Political clarity and full operational freedom

Addressing the audience, Singh stated that the operation benefited from unprecedented political commitment and the absence of operational restrictions from the government.

“There was political will, clear directions given to us, and there were no restrictions,” he said, underlining that any limits on escalation were decided internally by the armed forces themselves.

“If there were any constraints, they were self-made… We decided how much to escalate… We had full freedom to plan and execute. Our attacks were calibrated because we wanted to be mature about it… There was a synchronisation between the three forces.”

His statement came after earlier remarks by India’s defence attaché to Indonesia, Captain Shiv Kumar, who, at a seminar earlier, suggested that some aircraft losses during the operation had been due to political constraints.

“May not agree (with an earlier Indonesian speaker’s claim) that we lost so many aircraft, but I do agree we did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership,” Kumar had said.

Singh’s firm rejection of this narrative highlights the IAF leadership’s position that decision-making was driven by strategic judgement rather than externally imposed limits.

Learning from Balakot

In recounting the experience, Singh also compared the information-sharing approach during Operation Sindoor to that of the 2019 Balakot airstrike.

He noted that after Balakot, the lack of accessible evidence for the public had complicated efforts to convey the scale of the strike’s success.

“…In Balakot, we could not get anything from inside, and it became a big issue trying to tell our own people, unfortunately, as to what we have been able to achieve. We had intelligence of what had gone on inside, had a human kind of intelligence where we had a very clear picture of the inside in terms of there had been huge damage. There have been so many terrorists who have been neutralised, but we could not convince our own people that, look, we have achieved that,” Singh recalled.

This time, he said, the forces ensured that both the domestic audience and the international community could see and understand the operation’s impact.

“So I am very happy that this time we were able to take care of that ghost of Balakot that we were able to tell the world what we have achieved,” he added.

Unprecedented aerial victories

One of the most striking details revealed by the IAF chief was the destruction of multiple Pakistani aircraft, including what he described as the largest-ever recorded surface-to-air kill.

“We have at least five fighters confirmed kills and one large aircraft, which could be either an ELINT aircraft or an AEW &C aircraft, which was taken on at a distance of about 300 kilometres. This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about,” Singh said.

These kills were achieved using India’s advanced air defence systems, including the recently acquired S-400 missile system. Singh described the S-400 as a “game-changer” that effectively denied Pakistani aircraft the ability to launch long-range munitions.

“Our air defence systems have done a wonderful job. The S-400 system, which we had recently bought, has been a game-changer. The range of that system has really kept their aircraft away from their weapons like, those long-range glide bombs that they have, they have not been able to use any one of those because they have not been able to penetrate the system,” he said.

According to Singh, Pakistani aircraft were unable to approach even the outer limits of India’s Akash and Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) systems, with all engagement opportunities falling to the Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) network.

Strategic strikes deep inside Pakistan

The IAF chief described the scope of the strikes in detail, revealing that the operation targeted critical Pakistani military infrastructure. The list included:

• Two major command-and-control centres at Murid and Chaklala.

• Six radars, ranging from large installations to smaller systems.

• Two surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW) systems in Lahore and Okara.

• Three hangars: Sukkur UAV hangar, Bholari hangar, and the Shahbaz Jacobabad F-16 hangar.

About Jacobabad, Singh said, “We have an indication of at least one AEW&C in that AEW&C hangar and a few F-16s, which were under maintenance there. One half of the hangar is gone. And I’m sure there were some aircraft inside which have got damaged there.”

Bholari, which housed AEW&C facilities, was also attacked, with intelligence indicating an aircraft was inside during the strike. Singh noted that the intent was not to destroy one airfield completely but to send a broader strategic message.

“The idea was once again not to attack one particular airfield and decimate that airfield. The idea was to give him that feeling or give him that indication that look, we can attack you deep inside, at will, wherever we want to,” he said.

He also recounted that the operation included a long-desired strike at Sargodha, a key Pakistani airbase.

“Sargodha, we’ve grown up in our Air Force, dreaming about days like this, someday we’ll get a chance to go there. So it just so happens that I got my chance just before I retired… So we took on the airfield there,” he remarked.

Minimal collateral damage

Operation Sindoor was aimed at eliminating terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Indian forces struck nine major hubs linked to terror groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Singh displayed before-and-after images of Bahawalpur, Jaish-e-Mohammed’s headquarters, noting that strikes were carried out with precision to avoid civilian harm.

“There’s hardly any collateral here… The adjacent buildings are fairly intact… Not only did we have satellite pictures, but also from local media, through which we could get inside pictures,” he said.

The offensive reportedly resulted in the deaths of more than 100 terrorists.

Singh explained that India’s long-range precision weapons were used extensively and that every effort was made to limit collateral damage while ensuring operational effectiveness.

Pakistan’s retaliation and the turning point

Following India’s strikes, Pakistan responded with artillery shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) and in parts of Jammu and Kashmir, as well as attempted drone incursions across the border.

This retaliation led to the deaths of 16 Indian civilians and injuries to 59 others, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

India’s coordinated counter-offensive targeted Pakistan’s radar systems, communication facilities, and airfields across 11 locations, including Nur Khan Air Base.

Within 80 to 90 hours of sustained action, Singh said, Pakistan’s air defence network had been significantly degraded. “It was clear to them that if they continue, they are going to pay for it more and more,” he noted.

At this stage, Pakistan conveyed through the Director General of Military Operations that it wished to initiate dialogue — a proposal that India accepted.

Avoiding prolonged conflict

Singh defended the government’s decision to halt the operation once its objectives had been achieved, pushing back against calls to continue military action.

“People got down to their egos in the war… Once we achieved our objective, we should have looked for all windows of opportunity to stop… Some people very close to me said, ‘Aur maarna tha’. But can we continue to be at war?… The nation has taken a good decision,” he said.

He stressed that the operation was designed as a deterrent measure rather than an open-ended conflict, and that extending hostilities could have carried significant costs for the country.

In his remarks, Singh also praised the role of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the National Security Agency (NSA) in ensuring seamless coordination among the armed forces and intelligence agencies.

“The post of CDS made a real difference. He was there to get us together… NSA also played a big role in getting all the agencies,” he said.

With inputs from agencies