 "Operation Sindoor completes 100 days: How Made-in-India weapons showed the country’s might to Pakistan and world")
It has been over 100 days since Operation Sindoor, the military action India launched against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in May. The two neighbours engaged in a brief conflict after the Indian armed forces retaliated to avenge the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Today (August 15), India is celebrating its 79th Independence Day. Marking the occasion from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the success of Operation Sindoor during his address to the nation.
He emphasised the country’s goal of becoming self-reliant in defence and the Made-in-India weapons that showcased India’s capabilities as it struck Pakistan.
“If we were not self-reliant, would we have been able to carry out Operation Sindoor with such swift speed? But, the power of Made in India was in the hands of our army, so without worry, without interruption, without hesitation, our army continued to demonstrate its valour.
“For the past 10 years, we have been consistently pursuing a mission of self-reliance in the defence sector, and its results are visible today,” PM Modi said.
Let’s take a look at the indigenous weapons India used during Operation Sindoor and just how well they fared.
The battle giant BrahMos
India’s supersonic cruise missile made a debut in Operation Sindoor on May 10 when the Indian Air Force conducted precise strikes, targeting Pakistani airbases. The hits by the BrahMos deep within Pakistan caused significant damage to the neighbouring country’s airbases, with government officials even stating that 20 per cent of Pakistan’s air force assets had been destroyed.
Jointly developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia, the BrahMos is one of the country’s most advanced and formidable precision-strike weapons and can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.
Considered to be one of the fastest supersonic missiles, the BrahMos also boasts of the ability to travel at a speed of Mach 2.8 to Mach 3.0, which is nearly three times the speed of sound. This high speed significantly reduces enemy reaction time and enhances penetration capability against air defense systems. It can hit a target with an accuracy of one metre.
Even Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that “BrahMos is not just a weapon but a message of India’s military strength”.
Akash missile system — India’s very own ‘Iron Dome’
A day after India carried out coordinated and precise strikes, targeting terror bases inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Islamabad launched a counter attack — targeting the country’s civilian and military installations. The neighbouring country unleashed a swarm of drones and missiles — mostly Chinese and Turkish — to rain hell down on India. However, the Akash missile system thwarted these attacks, demonstrating its effectiveness.
Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and manufactured by state-run Bharat Dynamics, Akash is a short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) and is a part of India’s multi-layered air defence system.
Many defence analysts compare the Akash to Israel’s famous
Iron Dome missile system. However, it’s important to note that there are multiple distinctions between the two. What really sets apart the Akash though is its capability of engaging four aerial targets simultaneously at a range of 25 km.
The missile is equipped with electronic counter-countermeasure (ECCM) capabilities, enabling it to penetrate enemy jamming and other evasion tactics.
Samar air defence — a second protective cover
As Pakistan launched a swarm of drones and missiles at India, the country’s multi-layered air defence system locked into place, thwarting Islamabad’s attempts.
What made India’s air defence system almost impenetrable was the Samar (Surface to Air Missile for Assured Retaliation) systems with the Indian Air Force confirming that the Samar air defence system proved its mettle in this almost-war.
Developed by the IAF with Indian defence industries, the Samar is designed to counter low-flying threats, including unmanned aerial vehicles and drones. Equipped with advanced radar and missile technology, Samar provides rapid response and precision targeting. The system’s ability to intercept and destroy small targets has become critical in modern warfare.
Samar’s integration into the IAF’s defence network strengthens India’s ability to protect its airspace from such asymmetric threats.
D-4 — the drone destroyer
Along with India’s Akash missile system and Samar, the nation also deployed the DRDO-developed D-4 anti-drone system to thwart Pakistan’s rain of aerial attacks.
The D-4 anti-drone system — which is a Drone Detect, Deter, Destroy (D4) system — has the capability of disabling ordinary drones as well as unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) employing electronic jamming and spoofing techniques.
It can also fire laser-directed energy weapons that melt key components and projectiles to bring down drones.
Dr G Satheesh Reddy, former chairperson of the DRDO, hailed this weapon, telling NDTV, “The D4 system, must have been used in a big way to counter all drones and bring them down.”
Apart from these homegrown weapons used in Operation Sindoor, there were also some others that the country used, which have been jointly developed between India and Israel. Two prime examples of this would be the SkyStriker kamikaze drones and the Barak-8 medium-range surface-to-air missiles.
Indian satellites
And while everyone is tom-tomming, and rightly so, about India’s homemade offensive weaponry, one shouldn’t forget that India’s satellites also helped in Operation Sindoor. As Isro Chairman V Narayanan mentioned that at least 10 satellites were used for the strategic purpose to ensure the safety and security of the citizens of the country.
Operation Sindoor is a clear indicator that India’s home-grown weapons are deadly and effective and a good example of why the country must continue on its path of attaining aatmanirbharta in defence manufacturing. And experts note that while India is on the right path, it is miles away from self-reliance in defence production.
After all, data shows that India is still the second-largest arms buyer in the world, with an 8.3 per cent share of global imports between 2020 and 2024.
With inputs from agencies
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