Operation Sindoor: India’s Decoy Tactics and Missile Strikes Cripple Pakistan’s Air Defences

Last Updated May - 17 - 2025, 02:22 PM | Source : Fela News

India's Operation Sindoor used smart deception and missile precision to strike Pakistani air bases after the Pahalgam attack. Dummy aircraft tricked enemy defen

Operation Sindoor, India’s coordinated military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, sent a strong and strategic message to Pakistan by targeting nine terror hubs across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. However, it wasn’t just the precision of India’s missile strikes that stunned the Pakistan military—it was also the sophisticated deception tactics employed by the Indian Air Force (IAF).

According to an ANI report citing top defence sources, the IAF used decoy aircraft designed to appear as fighter jets, misleading Pakistan’s Chinese-origin air defence systems. On the night of May 9–10, before launching real missile strikes, the IAF deployed unmanned aircraft camouflaged as combat planes. These fooled Pakistani radars, which responded by activating their HQ-9 missile defence systems. In doing so, they revealed the locations of these units, making them vulnerable to follow-up attacks.

India subsequently launched long-range missile strikes on 11 out of 12 major Pakistani air bases, using an arsenal that included around 15 BrahMos missiles, as well as Scalp, Rampage, and Crystal Maze missiles. The offensive damaged critical assets, including runways, aircraft hangars, communications systems, and reportedly an airborne early warning system and long-endurance drones in the Sindh region. This operation marks the first confirmed combat deployment of the BrahMos missile by India.

The ANI report also states that Pakistan’s air defence network suffered such a heavy blow that it abandoned any plans for retaliation. Instead, the Pakistani military urgently sought Director General of Military Operations (DGMO)-level talks to negotiate a halt to further hostilities.

Key Highlights of Operation Sindoor:

Air strikes were coordinated primarily by India’s Western and Southwestern Air Commands.
Pakistan’s retaliatory aerial attacks—featuring ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and combat drones—were largely intercepted by India’s layered defence systems, including the Russian S-400, MRSAM, Akash, and legacy systems.
India’s tactical deception using drone decoys played a pivotal role in neutralising Pakistan’s air defence setup ahead of the missile offensive.

Operation Sindoor stands out not just for its execution, but for the strategic finesse that undercut Pakistan’s defence response and forced it into a de-escalatory posture.