IAF officer shares fresh Operation Sindoor footage: ‘Fewer than 50 weapons…’
Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari revealed fresh details of Operation Sindoor, India's military response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari on Saturday reportedly shared fresh footage and details of Operation Sindoor, India's military action against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in May, following the Pahalgam attack in which 26 people were killed.
Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari also revealed that fewer than 50 weapons were fired by the Indian Air Force to bring Pakistan to the truce table.
"From the list of options presented, we had a large number of target sets. And finally, we boiled down to nine," Air Marshal Tiwari said at NDTV Defence Summit, the news outlet reported.
“Key takeaway for us, that in less than 50 weapons, we were able to achieve conflict elimination. So this is the essential part which I want you to take away,” he added.
"This is the first time after Operation Sindoor that, as an Air Force, we are speaking on a public forum… When the attack in Pahalgam happened, the very next day, all three services met in their respective headquarters and started planning possible options. Some of these plans and contingencies we keep preparing over a period of time, and we bring them out for such eventualities when we have to respond quickly. The operational options were presented to a high-level team on the 24th of April.
"All the possible options for all three services were discussed, and essentially, we shortlisted targets and tactical planning commenced around the 29th of April. We had shortlisted targets; only the date and time were to be decided, which was finally fixed on the 5th of May. As you are well aware, on the 6th, 7th (early morning), and 9th, we struck the targets," the IAF top officer said.
Air Marshal Tiwari said New Delhi’s top directives had three clear objectives: the response had to be strong and visible, the messaging should serve as a deterrent against future attacks, and the armed forces were to get complete operational freedom while being prepared for a potential escalation into a full-scale conventional conflict.
India's Operation Sindoor against Pakistani terrorists
India carried out precision strikes under 'Operation Sindoor' on terror infrastructure early on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian forces launched a fierce counter-attack on several Pakistani military installations.
India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
Rajnath Singh on Operation Sindoor
Earlier, speaking at the event, defence minister Rajnath Singh said the air defence shield will comprise both defensive and offensive elements to deal with any enemy threats.
"As we saw during Operation Sindoor, the importance of air defence capability in today's wars has increased to a great extent. In such a scenario, the Sudarshan Chakra mission will certainly prove to be a game changer," he said.
In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the ambitious air defence project. The announcement came days after Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir reportedly hinted at targeting Indian assets along the border in case of any future military confrontation between the two countries.
