India's military might: What all India used in Operation Sindoor

A day after ceasefire between Pakistan and India was announced, the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) held a press conference intimating the public regarding Operation Sindoor.

During the presser, the senior service leaders said that the Indian armed forces carried out "careful scrutiny" of the nine cross-border terror camps down to their layouts and configurations and terrains around them before conducting the precision strikes on them on May 7.

They emphasised that Operation Sindoor was conceptualised with a clear military aim to "punish the perpetrators and planners" of terror and to destroy their infrastructure.

Over the years, India has built an arsenal of new-age weapons that includes a range of precision-guided long-range weapons and drones, including loitering munitions.

Let's take a look at the armed forces' strength.

S-400 Triumf missile defence system

A day after the initiation of Operation Sindoor, Pakistan military attacked the border towns of North and West India. For the first time in three decades, the citizens of the country witnessed it's neighbour hurtle barrage of missile and drones at civilian areas and military infrastructure.

However, thanks to India's latest acquirement, the armed forces were able to thwart these attacks and keep the population safe and sound.

India acquired five units of S-440 Triumf missile defence system from Russia for a steep price of $5 billion. The deal was signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.

The S-400 missile defence system is a mobile surface-to-air missile and is considered to be the world's most advanced long-range air defence systems, feared by the NATO countries as well.

These systems are capable of tracking targets which are up to 600 km away and can intercept incoming threats to up to 400 km.

S-400 missile defence system is made up of three parts - missile launchers, a powerful radar and a command centre which allows it to hit aircraft, cruise missiles and even fast-moving intermediate range ballistic missiles.

BrahMos - 'Message' of India's military strength

Yesterday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the largest integration and testing facility of the supersonic cruise missile system in Lucknow.

He said, "BrahMos is not just a weapon but a 'message' of India's military strength."

According to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) website, "BRAHMOS is a universal long range supersonic cruise missile system that can be launched from land, sea and air. BrahMos has been jointly developed by DRDO, India, and NPOM, Russia."

BrahMos has a speed of Mach 2.8 to Mach 3.0 which is nearly three times the speed of sound.

Akash

Though the strength and precision of S-400 dominated social media, there are other Surface to Air Missile Systems (SAMs) that are used for thwarting an attack from the enemy. One of them is Akash.

Unlike S-400, Akash is a short range surface to air missile system used to simultaneously engage with a singular or multitude of targets. It has built-in electronic counter measures with a range of up to 25 km.

Anti-drone D-4 system

Former chairperson of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Dr G Satheesh Reddy, hailed the indigenous systems used by armed forces during Operation Sindoor. According to a report by NDTV, he said, "For any nation, it is very important to be self-sufficient."

He also spoke about the Drone-Detect, Deter and Destroy (D4) system.

The D4 - has both options of killing capabilities (soft kill and hard kill). This system was built by DRDO and Bharat electronics Ltd.