Operation Sindoor was a reality check, exposed certain capability gaps: India's Defence Secretary

New Delhi: Defence Secretary Rajesh Singh on Friday said Operation Sindoor was a “reality check” for the armed forces because the four-day conflict with Pakistan exposed certain capability gaps in electronic warfare, counter UAV systems and military grade drones capable of working in a GPS-denied environment.

"In the context of Operation Sindoor, certain capability gaps were noticed. These include electronic warfare, counter-unmanned systems, a stronger manufacturing base for military-grade drones that can survive in GPS-denied and contested environments, and various types of low-level radars," Singh said.

The Defence Secretary spoke at a seminar at Pune on the theme of synergy of technology, research and defence ecosystem organised by the Southern Command of the Indian Army and spoke to media on the sidelines.,

“It's pretty clear in the context of the current geopolitical situation that most countries are paying a lot of attention to defence and hard power. Given our neighbourhood, India is no exception. We just had this experience with Operation Sindoor, which in some ways was a reality check for us — in terms of where we can do better and where we need to adapt to the changing needs of future warfare," he said.

Referring to the evolving threat posed by drones and unmanned systems, he said specific capability areas have been identified to strengthen the defence manufacturing ecosystem.

On Mission Sudarshan Chakra, announced by the Prime Minister, Singh said the mission would incorporate both defensive and offensive elements.

"We already have a fairly strong multi-layered air defence system, which worked very well during Operation Sindoor. We did not suffer any major losses or casualties despite repeated attempts using drones and missiles to penetrate the system. But India has a large landmass, and we must ensure that all critical infrastructure, population centres and industries are covered," he said.

The Defence Secretary said adequate attention was being given to the preparation of the Sudarshan Chakra mission as Defence Research and Development Organisation and a dedicated committee have been asked to prepare a detailed project report to address any gaps in the air defence system.