Operation Sindoor: Story, success, takeaways
The Pakistani site went on to say, “The concept has recently gained currency with the Indian strategic community.”
India’s stunning military project, Operation Sindoor, to punish the terrorist Pakistan was planned and executed with admirable precision and confidence by the defence forces in just two weeks. But the capability to accomplish this grand project in weeks was developed over years, painstakingly, against all odds and opposition by internal and external designs.
The transformation of the defence infrastructure to the non-contact war model undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was the foundation for the spectacular Op Sindoor, as compared to the earlier Uri surgical strike and the Balakot aerial attack based on the traditional war model.
Modi realised that the old model would not work in future. That it would not enable deep strikes into Pakistan, without which India would not be able to destroy terror outfits at their source, impelled Modi to transform the war model to non-contact warfare, the outcome of which was Op Sindoor and its breathtaking success.
Despite all the military infra and preparations, Op Sindoor could not have been undertaken with the eventual ease without a cluster of supportive factors that dramatically transformed the geopolitical, economic and strategic ecosystem in India’s favour under Modi’s 10-year rule. It was also aided by the relative decline of Pakistan in the same period.
Non-contact warfare
What is non-contact warfare and how Modi put India on its ladder? This is what the Pakistan Defence website had to say [8.7.2020] about how India was climbing on to non-contact warfare. It described the induction of long range missiles, high precision smart weapons, unmanned systems, robots and satellites primarily driven by technology and aimed at achieving a quick, decisive victory by remote delivery of destructive kinetic energy as “Non-Contact Warfare”. The Pakistani site went on to say, “The concept has recently gained currency with the Indian strategic community.” It added,
“The Balakot strikes and earlier fake surgical strike claims (by India) point to its strong desire for gaining psychological ascendancy without suffering casualties, simultaneously avoiding escalation of violence. As recently as January 2015, the Indian Army Chief reiterated that Non-Contact Warfare is “important” and is a “major consideration” in the planned restructuring of the Indian Army.” In its post in 2020, the Pakistan website cited to the Indian Army chief’s reference to non-contact warfare in 2015 as “recently”!
Op Sindoor – non-contact war model
The pillars of the Op Sindoor were five advanced supertech non-contact war equipment that avoided ground forces or traditional airstrikes. One, Rafale aircraft, two, SCALP missiles, three, HAMMER missiles, four, Kamikaze loitering drones developed with Israeli aid, and five, the deadly BrahMos missiles. All of them are non-contact and autonomous; once fired, they home in on to the target on their own.
The Indian Air Force deployed Rafale fighter jets to execute Op Sindoor. India got cutting-edge weapons systems, both SCALP and HAMMER, mounted on its Rafales. These missile combinations enabled deep strikes and precision targeting. SCALP can move stealthily and hit distant, fortified targets like bunkers and command centres 500 km away. The HAMMER is an air-to-ground weapon. It is ideal for hitting even mobile targets.
In Op Sindoor, HAMMER missiles supported the SCALP. The Kamikaze drones are ‘do or die’ drones that are operated by remote human control. And finally the deadly BrahMos missile, fitted with indigenous seeker instrument that guides it to its target, which smashed the terror mansions in Op Sindoor. The most critical air defence equipment which smashed the Pakistani drone and missile attacks from May 7 to 9 night after the deep Indian strike on the intervening night of May 6-7, was the Russian S-400 anti-missile defence system.
Non-contact infra – Modi plan
Modi acquired Rafale and HAMMER missiles from France, SCALP missile from England, Heron Mk2 UAVs and technology for HAROP drones from Israel, S-400 missile interceptors from Russia, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles from the US. The Modi government also secretly purchased various other technologies and equipment.
The two items that Modi purchased against all odds and opposition were the Rafale fighters and the Russian S-400 missile defence system. Without the Rafale fighter jets, non-contact war under Op Sindoor would have been unthinkable. Without the Russian S-400s, India could not have thwarted the waves after waves of Pakistani drones and missiles that targeted the Indian defence and air installations on May 7, 8 and 9 particularly. The Pakistani missiles were shot down like birds in the sky.
Modi defied the US, took on Rahul’s Congress
Modi faced heavy opposition for buying the two major defence assets — Rafale and S-400 — which only made Op Sindoor and its aftermath a spectacular success. In what appeared to be a conspiracy against the nation, the Congress vigorously opposed the purchase of the Rafale jets and, alleging corruption, tried to stop it. Fortunately the Supreme Court intervened, allowing the Rafale deal. As the 2019 polls were approaching, Modi took the highest political risk to buy the Rafales, which today saved India. Without Rafales, our defence forces would not have been able to fire autonomous drones and missiles to target and destroy terrorist camps 250 km away, without crossing the border, which is the very essence of non-contact warfare.
If Rahul was bent upon stopping the Rafale, the US was hell-bent on stopping India from buying the S-400 from Russia. It had threatened to impose technological sanctions on India if it went ahead with the S-400 deal with Russia. But Modi did not buckle under the threat of his friend Trump and went ahead to buy the S-400s in 2018. It is the S-400s that stopped and destroyed the hundreds of Pakistani missiles and drones fired into our territory after the tri-force attacked nine terror camps. Had Modi buckled under Congress pressure before elections and not gone ahead with buying Rafale fighter jets, and had he succumbed to Trump’s threat and cancelled the order to buy S-400 anti-missile systems, India could never have thought of Op Sindoor.
Modi’s Atmanirbharta yielded Kamikaze drones
The story is not complete without complimenting Modi for his efforts to indigenise defence manufacturing under his ambitious Atmanirbharta agenda. Modi did not stop at importing the best equipment. He also encouraged the development of technologies within the country. Our country, which produced 32% of our needs in 2014, now produces 88% of them. A word about the Kamikaze drones.
The Israeli tech was indigenised as swadeshi Kamikaze drones and inducted into the defence forces in April last year ahead of India’s 78th Independence day. The National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) manufactured the indigenous Kamikaze drone, which was a significant milestone in India’s defence tech. These “do-and-die” unmanned aerial vehicles, designed with home-built engines, can fly up to 1,000 km and loiter over target areas for up to nine hours. The swadeshi Kamikaze drones made their debut in Op Sindoor.
Geopolitical rise of Modi, India
Mere military preparation would not have enabled India to cross the borders and hit Pakistan. When Modi took over as prime minister, he had to overcome negative perceptions about him spread with venom by his detractors in India with the active support of their liberal woke associates outside. He vowed to take on the liberal world that virtually hated him.
Anyone facing such adverse opinion would have sought a global PR agency at high cost to soften the rigour of the adversity. But he decided to correct the wrong impressions about him by his own efforts and did it in the most unconventional way. He undertook the most extensive travel by any leader anywhere. He stormed 73 countries in 10 years. He went to Israel, India’s outcaste for seven decades, never visited by any Indian prime minister. Today it is India’s closest ally.
He was the first PM to visit Australia after Indira Gandhi. It is now a great ally of India to deal with the West. As of May 2025, he has visited 41 countries once. 14 countries twice. The UK, Saudi Arabia included, eight countries thrice. Sri Lanka four times. Three countries, including China, five times. Germany six times. Japan, Russia, UAE seven times. France eight times and the US 10 times. These were not diplomatic picnics. He built powerful and personal relations with all nations.
His strenuous and personal outreach made him familiar with most nations, and friendly to the most influential leaders and most distant nations. Tall world leaders became his fans. A few examples. Former Israeli prime minister Bennett said Modi was the most popular person in Israel. US President Trump said Modi is a fantastic person, magnificent and a total killer. Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden said that he “felt like taking Modi’s autograph”. Russian President Putin said, “Modi is a wise man.
He cannot be intimidated to make decisions. I am even surprised at his tough position to defend India’s national interest.” Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said, “Modi is the most loved leader in the world.” Australian Prime Minister Albanese called him “boss”. The then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote in his book, Unleashed, that Modi is a change-maker, recalling how he sensed a curious astral energy during their first meeting.
Modi was conferred the highest civilian awards by 21 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait (all Muslim nations), USA, France, Russia and Greece. No other world leader was honoured by such a large number of countries. From 2019, he became the most admired leader of the world quarter after quarter in the US Morning Consult survey with an approval rating of over 70%.
As Modi was straining every nerve to build India’s image by his extensive foreign travels, the Congress party began deriding him as a non-resident prime minister. In contrast, Rahul Gandhi secretly travelled abroad 247 times in four years. Even his party did not know where he was and whether he was in India.
Modi’s rise and India’s rise were complementary to one another. His visits and the fame he earned fetched India technology, trade investment and military equipment not easily available without his unprecedented outreach.
His geopolitical rise as a global leader is a factor that enabled India to tower over Pakistan, which was dwarfed by Modi and India’s rise. When the stealthy Balakot aerial attack was launched under Modi’s watch as PM, there was muted support to open opposition. This time around, he openly declared Op Sindoor and brutally attacked Pakistan after crossing the border.
But no Muslim country except Turkey supported Pakistan. Qatar, which had aligned with Pakistan so far, supported India this time.
India could not have undertaken Op Sindoor without global support.
India’s rise from Fragile 5 to Super 4. Pak 10 steps below
India’s rise during Modi’s rule dwarfing Pakistan to insignificance has also shifted the global ecosystem in its favour. When Modi assumed office, India was listed among the Fragile 5 economies of the world. Today, it is among the top four economies of the world with the highest growth rate. India’s GDP was $3.88 trillion in 2024.
Pakistan lags behind at $0.37 trillion — 10 steps below India. India doubled its GDP during Modi’s rule. Pakistan, in prolonged macroeconomic crisis, is nowhere near. In 2024, India recorded 8.2% growth — thrice as much as Pakistan’s 2.4%. Over the last decade, India’s per capita GDP surged by 74%, while Pakistan’s remained muted. India’s forex reserve is $676 billion; Pakistan’s is just $9 billion. India is the fastest growing economy.
In contrast, Pakistan has been at the IMF doorsteps over 20 times since 1980 for rescue. The recent $7 billion IMF bailout of Pakistan is one of the largest in its history. These bailouts, meant for economic stability, have often been used to fund its military that is aligned with terror.
These comparative numbers did also matter in the positive attitude of different nations to India in Op Sindoor.
Op Sindoor – the key takeaways
Op Sindoor is a dramatic turn which transformed India into a rule-setter in the Indo-Pakistan interface. There are several key takeaways. One, India has avenged the Pahalgam carnage by massive missile strikes on nine terror camps, which Pakistan could not block and had to admit unlike in the past when it was always in denial. Two, Pakistan, which started the war after India’s attack on terror, could not penetrate the country’s air defence system with its missiles.
Three, Indian forces destroyed Pakistan’s air defence systems besides attacking and damaging its air bases with impunity. Four, when the thoroughly beaten Pakistan’s nuke threat was laughed away by India, it had to beg through its Director General of Military Operations for a ceasefire. Five, India openly declared that in the event of a future terror strike, it will regard it as a declaration of war and pursue the terror outfits inside Pakistan.
Six, by its military commanders attending the funeral of the globally wanted terrorists and paying homage to them, Pakistan has provided vital evidence of the link between its army and terror. Seven, the prime minister in his address to the nation told Pakistan and the world that ‘terror and talk’, ‘trade and talk’ cannot go together. Eight, the PM told them that any talk with Pakistan will be only about PoK.
Nine, he also declared that blood and water cannot flow together, clearly saying that Indus water flow is linked to Pakistan giving up terror. Ten, Modi warned Pakistan that unless it gave up terror it would be destroyed by terror. And lastly, Modi said that India will not tolerate nuclear blackmail, indicating that its no first use option may be reviewed.
To conclude, Op Sindoor resets the India-Pakistan engagement — in war or in peace.
