Dummy aircraft in Op Sindoor: How India spooked Pakistan and why it didn't cross border

Days after India paused its Operation Sindoor against Pakistan-based terrorists, interesting details have emerged regarding how the Indian Air Force outsmarted the Pakistani radar and air defence systems by deploying dummy aircraft.

News agency ANI has also reported that India, for the first time, used the BrahMos missile system in an active combat, delivering high-precision strikes against targets deep located in Pakistan.

Dummy jets

According to the defence sources quoted by ANI, India launched a major strike campaign against several airbases of the Pakistan Air Force on the intervening night of May 9th and 10th.

In this operation, 11 of Pakistan’s 12 major air bases were struck by the IAF. Around 15 BrahMos missiles were fired at these airbases, with the aim to disrupt their ability to launch aircraft and other key operations. Notably, the complete decimation of these airbases was not on the IAF’s agenda.

However, before this massive campaign was launched, the IAF deployed dummy pilotless target aircraft, which would appear as legitimate fighter jets on Pakistani radars.

This prompted the Pakistani side to activate its defence network to deter the ‘incoming enemy aircraft’. However, this disclosed their location to the Indian side, leading the Indian forces to target Pakistan’s air defence radars and command and control systems using loitering ammunition and Israeli-made Harops.

Before that, the Pakistani side had moved the Chinese HQ-9 air defence system to a new location unknown to the Indian side. The deployment of the dummy jets helped India detect the new location and neutralise the radars and defence systems.

Which missiles were used in Indian offensive?

The Indian Air Force then followed up with the long-range missile attacks on the Pakistani air bases, which included the BrahMos and Scalp missiles.

Around 15 BrahMos missiles and Scalp, Rampage and Crystal Maze missiles were launched in the offensive.

The aircraft packages for the missions were controlled mainly from the Western Air Command and the Southwestern Air Command area of responsibility. The aerial attacks launched by the Pakistani Air Force using land attack ballistic missiles, air-launched cruise missiles, and unmanned combat aircraft were mainly thwarted by the combination of the Russian S-400, MRSAM, and Akash air defence missile units, along with other old systems.

The attacks on Pakistani air bases resulted in the Pakistani Air Force shifting its aircraft to different bases in the rear, the sources said. The Pakistan Air Force might have lost a significant number of long-endurance UAVs and an airborne early warning and control aircraft during a missile hit on a hangar at a Pakistani air base in the Sindh area of Pakistan.

It is to be noted that India never crossed the international border or the Line of Control during the recent military conflict with Pakistan. Crossing the border would have exposed the Indian jets to enemy radars and defence systems. Instead, India deployed advanced fighter jets as well as high-tech missiles to launch precision strikes from within its borders.

(With inputs from agencies)