In the early hours of May 7, 2025, the nature of conflict in South Asia changed forever. Operation Sindoor, India’s swift and high-precision military response to the gruesome Pahalgam terror attack, gave a clear message: India has entered a new era of warfare, where digital sovereignty, indigenous innovation, and integrated multi-domain operations define the battlefield.
As missiles struck terror camps in Bahawalpur and Muridke, India simultaneously fended off over 1.5 million cyberattacks. This was no mere reprisal. Operation Sindoor was a strategic statement: India will punish terrorism with precision, and technological sophistication, and without triggering a conventional war.
From Proximity to Precision: The New Logic of War
At the heart of Sindoor lay a doctrinal shift — distance no longer defines deterrence, effect does. The operation showcased India’s first tri-service, precision stand-off strike capability, leveraging a seamless web of airpower, drones, C6ISR (command, control, communications, computers, cyber and combat systems and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), and electronic warfare.
Drones like Archer-NG and TAPAS-BH-201 conducted real-time terrain mapping, while loitering munitions such as ALS-50 silently hovered before diving onto confirmed targets. Fighter jets — Rafales and Su-30MKIs — fired SCALP and BrahMos-A missiles from Indian airspace, erasing the need for close combat. No dogfights, no incursion. Just sharp, clean and deadly hits.
This precision was enabled by India’s growing indigenous and collaborative defence ecosystem. The Indo-Russian BrahMos cruise missile, enhanced with Indian seeker tech, delivered surgical strikes. Rafales, retrofitted with Indian electronic warfare pods, functioned like AI-powered sniper platforms. Indigenous SAAW glide bombs and Garud precision munitions launched from Jaguars achieved high-impact results at low risk.
A Self-Reliant Arsenal: Aatmanirbharta in Action
Operation Sindoor marked the maturation of India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat defence policy. Indigenous systems — ranging from the Akash-NG surface-to-air missile to the DRDO’s D4 anti-drone shield — operated in concert with collaborative ventures like the Barak-8 air defence system. India’s Netra AEW&C, Samyukta EW suite, Divya Drishti SIGINT platform, and the Pinaka rocket systems all played pivotal roles, backed by private-sector innovations such as the Nagastra-1 loitering munition and ALFA-S hunter drones.
India’s space-based capabilities added a new dimension. The IRNSS/NavIC satellite constellation provided encrypted, GPS-independent precision navigation, while RISAT and CARTOSAT satellites offered high-resolution sub-metric imaging and SAR scans. EMISAT and GSAT satellites delivered real-time SIGINT and secure communication. It showcased India’s space-enabled warfare — the new frontier.
CERT-In, NCIIPC and armed forces’ cyber efforts intercepted and neutralised most threats in real-time, using AI-based threat detection and digital forensics to not only shield India’s networks but trace and dismantle Pakistani botnets mid-attack. It was a display of not just resilience, but offensive cyber posture
Cyberspace the Silent Killer
As physical targets fell, a second battle raged unseen — a full-spectrum cyber war. Within 72 hours of the strikes, Pakistani hacker groups launched coordinated DDoS attacks, phishing campaigns, and attempted ransomware infiltrations against Indian ministries, banks, and telecoms. But India was prepared. CERT-In, NCIIPC and armed forces’ cyber efforts intercepted and neutralised most threats in real-time, using AI-based threat detection and digital forensics to not only shield India’s networks but trace and dismantle Pakistani botnets mid-attack. It was a display of not just resilience, but offensive cyber posture. India didn’t just survive the cyber onslaught — it responded with quiet force.
Operation Sindoor: The Digital Disinformation War
This digital offensive spread fake news, doctored images, and misleading videos, including false claims of a downed fighter jet and fabricated footage of attacks on Indian forces. These narratives were amplified by pro-Pakistan influencers, bot networks, and even state-linked media, aiming to shape global perception, discredit India’s military gains, and sow confusion. However, Indian agencies like the PIB, along with independent fact-checkers, swiftly debunked these falsehoods, while the Indian Army released verified footage showcasing the precision and success of the mission. India also launched a diplomatic outreach to expose Pakistan’s duplicity, reinforcing its zero-tolerance stance on terror. Operation Sindoor thus not only marked a tactical victory but also underscored India’s preparedness for narrative warfare in the digital age.
Drone Swarms and AI-Led Dominance
The most revolutionary element of Sindoor was India’s domination of the skies through drone swarms and AI-enabled combat systems. Compact quadcopters flew pre-programmed formations, jamming and spoofing enemy radars around sectors like Bhimber and Sialkot, blinding Pakistan’s air defence without firing a shot. AI-guided drones like Nagastra-1 and Harop, operating autonomously, hunted and eliminated high-value terrorist leaders in fortified zones, including the likes of Hafiz Muhammed Jameel (JeM) and Mudassir Khadian (LeT).
The D4 system, developed by DRDO and BEL, became the sentinel of Indian skies. It combined soft-kill techniques like GPS spoofing and RF jamming with hard-kill laser weapons to intercept Turkish-origin drones used by Pakistan. Deployed during the operation, D4 intercepted and neutralised 95% of intruding UAVs.
The Power of Electronic and Cost-Effective Warfare
Operation Sindoor’s success wasn’t just about firepower — it was about disruption. India’s Samyukta electronic warfare suite jammed enemy communications, neutralised Chinese radar systems, and sowed confusion across Pakistani command channels. Legacy platforms like Bofors and Pechora missiles were effectively fused with new-gen technologies, creating a hybrid, layered defence structure.
What stood out was India’s cost-effective deterrence. High-value Pakistani drones and infrastructure were neutralised using low-cost loitering munitions and electronic spoofing, demonstrating an economy-of-scale in warfare that ensures sustainability without compromising effectiveness.
The most revolutionary element of Sindoor was India’s domination of the skies. AI-guided drones like Nagastra-1 and Harop, operating autonomously, hunted and eliminated high-value terrorist leaders in fortified zones, including the likes of Hafiz Muhammed Jameel (JeM) and Mudassir Khadian (LeT)
Cognitive Warfare – Battle of Narratives
Operation Sindoor wasn’t just fought on the ground — it was fought online, in the minds of people. As the operation unfolded, thousands of videos flooded social media. But most turned out to be old clips reused or AI-generated deepfakes. In this digital fog of war, even reputable media outlets struggled to separate fact from fiction. Social media algorithms, built to boost engagement, rewarded the most dramatic content, blurring the line between journalism and propaganda. Both the nation and the Indian Armed Forces need to reflect and invest much more in this sphere.
A Doctrine Rewritten — And A Warning Sounded
Sindoor has reset the strategic balance. India has shown it can retaliate below the nuclear threshold with devastating effects. It institutionalised cyber warfare, AI-enabled operations, and rapid sensor shooter decision loops. The fusion of intelligence, digital command, and kinetic force was seamless — and real-time. But as India celebrates this success, Sindoor also sounds a cautionary note. It was just the beginning of a new technology revolution in which India must keep pace and have an integrated approach to capability building where the technology and acquisition cycles are matched.
India’s heavy dependence on satellites and space assets exposes a critical vulnerability to anti-satellite (ASAT) or jamming attacks. A quantum-resilient communications network, launch on-demand micro-satellites and low-earth orbit constellations are urgent needs. Moreover, doctrinal clarity is essential.
Perhaps most importantly, the next challenge won’t be singular. China closely observed Sindoor. A future conflict may involve a collusive, two-front digital war from Ladakh to PoK. India’s armed forces, cyber units, and space forces must train for simultaneous, cross-domain warfare.
The next challenge before India may not be singular. China closely observed Operation Sindoor. A future conflict may involve a collusive, two-front digital war from Ladakh to PoK. India’s armed forces, cyber units, and space forces must train for simultaneous, cross-domain warfare
The New Face of Indian Military
In the end, Operation Sindoor wasn’t about retaliation. It was about redefining India’s approach to war — surgical, precise, multidomain, joint service integrated and technologically dominant. It showcased how Indigenous innovation when fused with strategy and precision, can deliver disproportionate effects.
Sindoor validated India’s transformation from a reactive military power to a proactive, technology-integrated regional hegemon. Many lessons and voids have also come to the fore which must be dispassionately and professionally addressed. The right balance between kinetic and non-kinetic; manned and unmanned; contact and non-contact systems must be addressed. Contemporary wars have reminded us that boots and tracks on the ground do matter and technology is a potent ‘force multiplier’ empowering the man behind the machine.
India must be ready to fight its wars with state-of-the-art indigenous technology and integrated systems moulded in a redefined Military Warfighting Doctrine. We need a better defence ecosystem and an integrated defence industrial complex backed by commensurate budgetary resources and reforms and under the umbrella of a Nation Security Strategy.
The author, a PVSM, AVSM, VSM has had an illustrious career spanning nearly four decades. A distinguished Armoured Corps officer, he has served in various prestigious staff and command appointments including Commander Independent Armoured Brigade, ADG PP, GOC Armoured Division and GOC Strike 1. The officer retired as DG Mechanised Forces in December 2017 during which he was the architect to initiate process for reintroduction of Light Tank and Chairman on the study on C5ISR for Indian Army. Subsequently he was Consultant MoD/OFB from 2018 to 2020. He is also a reputed defence analyst, a motivational speaker and prolific writer on matters of military, defence technology and national security. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily carry the views of Raksha Anirveda
