How the experience of Operation Sindoor is reshaping the Indian armed forces

India was forced to launch Operation Sindoor as a punitive action in response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 people in a cold blooded manner. The 88-hour long operation demonstrated the unique ability of the Indian armed forces to start and end an armed conflict against a nuclear armed power. During the Eastern Ladakh crisis too, by securing the Helmet Top feature on the Kailash range in August 2020, forcing China’s hand at the negotiating table. Making India the only country to dominate the escalation ladder against two nuclear armed rivals.The Operation demonstrated India’s ability to hit any target across Pakistan. During the first few minutes of the Operation, India was able to hit targets separated over 500 kms longitudinally ranging from mountainous Muzzafarabad in the north to arid Bahawalpur in the south nearly simultaneously. As the conflict moved up on the escalation ladder, the Indian armed forces struck targets ranging from a Surface-to-Air Missile battery in Karachi, on the shores of the Arabian Sea, to a critical bunker at the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, near the foothills of the Himalayas (Margala), while at the same time leaving a mark at some of the most crucial air bases and radar locations across Pakistan.Pakistan too tried to hit Indian air bases and take out the crucial S-400 Triumpf air defence complex with a supersonic CM-400AKG supersonic missile. This missile was shot down before ot could reach its target. Pakistani missile fired at other air bases, a long range fired towards Delhi was also intercepted by a Medium Range-Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM), negating Pakistan’s offensive efforts. Although one Pakistani projectile did land at the Indian Air Force air strip in Udhampur.The four day operation demonstrated India’s conventional superiority over Pakistan, but there is also need to strengthen defences as the nature of warfare is changing. In Operation Sindoor although the air defence network was the toast of the town, there are still efforts to improve the system especially in light of the threat posed by drones and missiles.

Air Defence

India has embarked on a journey to produce its own system similar to the Israeli Iron Dome, called Mission Sudarshan Chakra. The system is being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The project was announced by the Prime Minister during his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, just months after the kinetic phase of Operation Sindoor ended.The upcoming system is a layered air defence system, which will be capable of firing interceptor missiles at ranges of 350 km, 250 km and 150 km. The first phase of this system is expected to be ready by 2029. DRDO has been testing parts of this system since August of 2025. Besides missiles of different ranges, the overall architecture of the system will also be able add directed energy weapons such as high powered lasers.The Indian Air Force is likely to get the fourth S-400 system in the next few months and the fifth contracted system by the end of the year. The fourth system is expected to be deployed on the western front, the first of these missile systems is deployed in Punjab and the second system is deployed in northern Gujarat, while the third system is deployed in the eastern sector.There is also a strong effort to improve the capability of the armed forces agaisnt drones. Efforts are underway to take down these unmanned system using a varierty of ways ranging from specific missile systems such as the Bhargavastra missile system developed by Solar industries. The army is also looking to procure ammunition for 40mm, 30mm and 23mm guns. Efforts are also underway to use new age methods such as electromagnetic systems, lasers and radio frequency jammers to take on drones.The importance of a robust system was demonstrated by the air force and the army during Op Sindoor. The ill effects of having such a system was demonstrated in West Asia, when Iranian missiles and drones were able to hit vital targets in a wide arc ranging from Oman in the east to Israel in the west.

Harnessing drone power

Drones have shown their utility in recent conflicts. The armed forces, once known as slow to adapt, are now quick to realign with the latest in technology. The armed forces are now imbibing the latest in drone technology, even as the field is evolving at a very fast pace. The army is procuring drones for different types of purposes such as attack, reconnaissance and logistics, among other uses. The armed forces are procuring different types of systems ranging from small First Person View (FPV) drones to pseudo satellites that will fly at super high altitudes, powered by the sun.The army is also rechanging internal structures to use these systems more effectively, with the induction of Ashni platoons for the infantry and Divyastra batteries and Shaktiban regiments for its artillery arm. The army is also looking at raising Shaurya squadrons for its armoured regiments.

Rocket force

The Indian army chief earlier this year, spoke about the requirement of a rocket-cum-missile force. The Indian army is now seeking its own rocket-cum-missile force. The advantage of having such a force would be that the forces will be able to send a long range vector deep inside enemy territory without risking fighter aircraft or other expensive platforms.The Pakistanis during Operation Sindoor attempted to hit targets deep inside India with Fatah-II rockets, which was intercepted over Sirsa. India too used long range missiles very effectively during the operation. Various Pakistani airbases and the Pakistani early warning radar system was destroyed by long range missile strikes that were carried out by aircraft. The IAF used Brahmos, SCALP and Rampage missiles for this task.Most of these strikes could be carried out by the upcoming variants of the indigenous Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launch (MBRL) system. It was reported by the Economic Times that a variant of the Pinaka with a 200 km range is currently under development. The army has also acquired the Precise & Universal Launching System (PULS) which has a range of 300 km and very high accuracy. These systems are cost effective, when compared to other systems and have proven to be very effective in recent and ongoing conflicts. Even a country such as Ukraine which has an effective air defence shield has not been able to effectively tackle these systems. Moreover, to defend against these projectiles, the defending force has to burn through its stockpile of expensive surface to air missiles.

5th generation fighters

Low observability, or stealth has been a critical aspect since the First Gulf War in 1991, when American F-117s and B-2s struck Baghdad, which was considered the most heavily defended air defence zone on the planet, as per American public broadcaster PBS. The F-117 in the opening night of the conflict the aircraft constituted 2.5% of the coalition ‘shooters’, but was responsible for 31% of targets destroyed.Even now, the low observable fifth generation F-35 lead the charge during the air campaign to bomb Iran in June 2025, Venezuela earlier this year and Iran again this year.The Indian Air Force currently lacks a fifth generation platform. India is making its own fifth generation fighter aircraft called the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), but this aircraft is not expected to enter service before 2035. At the same time China is already operating a fifth-generation fighter aircraft called the J-20 and is on the cusp of inducting another fifth generation fighter called the J-35. The Pakistani Air Force too is expected to induct the J-35 fighter aircraft.In order to manage the gap the Indian Air Force is said to be looking at the Russian Sukhoi-57 as an interim measure.

Persistent ISR & Satellites

In order to keep a perpetual eye on the enemy the three services are setting up Space Based Surveillance (SBS) capabilities. The forces plan to establish a constellation of 52 satellites over a period of five years. The satellites will provide the three services the ability to keep an eye on enemy movements, keep an eye on the border and provide a satellite based communication network. Half of the satellites will be built by the private industry, while the remainder will be built by ISRO.The armed forces are also seeking to procure stratospheric airships that will have the capability to fly as high as 25 to 35 km, for context most airliners don’t fly over altitudes of 10-12 kms. These systems are envisioned to have systems that can cue targets using low probability of intercept radars and electro optronics. Besides this the armed forces are seeking to procure high altitude pseudo satellites are solar powered autonomous unmanned aircraft that are supposed to fly at altitudes of 60,000 feet for a duration of 90 days.These systems will provide the three services a web of assets that can keep a persistent set of eyes over the enemy. This is besides the large number of High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) and Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) that are already being operated and procured by the armed forces.

Jointness

During Operation Sindoor the three services acted in a cohesive and coordinated manner. The planning and execution was carried out in a synchronised manner. The targets were selected and attacked in a pre-determined manner, where the targets were divided between the army and the air force. The air defence during the 88-hour operation was also handled jointly by the army and the air force.India’s military modernisation is centered on restructuring through Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs), designed to unify Army, Navy, and Air Force capabilities by geography and function. Studies are underway to establish Theatre Commands for land borders, maritime operations, and joint air defence, enhancing synergy and combat effectiveness. Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan stresses that jointness and integration are prerequisites, with ITCs separating operational roles from administrative Raise‑Train‑Sustain functions, enabling commanders to focus on security.These reforms mark a shift toward multi‑domain operations, integrating space, cyberspace, digitization, and data‑centric warfare. Complementing this, the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), created in 2020 under the CDS, promotes jointness in procurement, training, staffing, and restructuring of commands.

Information warfare: narrative dominance

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, stated that 15% of the armed force’s effort went into countering fake narrative initiated by the Pakistanis. The Indian armed forces in conjunction with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), took on the disinformation campaign started by the Pakistanis much before the first shot was fired. The campaign started by the Pakistani armed forces Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR).The Press Information Bureau (PIB)’s Fact Check Unit (FCU) in coordination with the armed forces, worked overtime to shatter fake Pakistani narratives. The fake narritves launched by the Pakistanis was in almost real time was fact checked by the FCU. Over 1,400 URLs, that were spreading fake news, were also blocked by the MIB.Operation Sindoor was a massive success for the India. India demonstrated that from no terror target in the country is safe. The Pakistanis also learnt that even when their armed forces are fully awake to the threat, Indian weapons will still get through and hit the pride of the Pakistani armed forces, as made evident in Karachi, Sargodha and Nur Khan.The Indian armed forces have gone through the 88-hour kinetic operation minute-by-minute and are now making full use of the experience. The gaps in capability are being closed and the strengths are being built upon. As Operation Sindoor is paused and not stopped, India has sent a very clear ‘desist or else’ message to Pakistan, in case of a new misadventure the next ‘or else’ could be one that no narrative build up could wipe off.