DRDO’s Akash, Brahmos, C-UAS and more: How Operation Sindoor was a massive victory for Made In India weapons and tech
India’s Operation Sindoor demonstrated the country’s military might, tactical prowess, and technical brilliance before the world. With its integrated network of air defence systems, the Indian Armed Forces protected military bases and strategic assets, while Pakistani forces, being cowards of the top order, launched drones, missiles and rockets against Indian civilians and military assets, even as India’s precision strikes specifically targeted terror camps.
On the 8th of May, Pakistan targeted many Indian cities, including Jammu, Amritsar, Pathankot, and Jaisalmer. It fired drone swarms at these cities. Pakistan wanted to harm India’s military bases and residential areas and overwhelm the air defence systems, a tactic often used by Hamas against Israel. India gave a befitting reply to this, they foiled all these attacks. India used its advanced defence systems for this. While the S-400 system purchased from Russia foiled many attacks, most of them were answered by Indian systems.
Akashteer system: India’s indigenously developed ADCRS
The Indian Armed Forces gave a befitting response to the Pakistani attack and unleashed India’s very own “Iron Dome” Akashteer Air Defence System (ADS) along with S-400 Sudarshan Chakra ADS to foil Pakistani plans of targeting Indian civilians. The Akashteer system has been deployed on the western front to form an advanced shield over the International Border (IB) and LoC. This air defence system integrates inputs from radar sources like early-warning systems and ground-based radars to render a live web of real-time data to precisely track aerial threats. With the Akashteer system’s help, Indian forces intercepted and neutralised each and every missile launched by Pakistan towards India.
With its phased induction in the Indian Army beginning in 2024, the Akashteer system is an advanced Air Defence Control and Reporting System (ADCRS) developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the Indian Army. In forward combat zones, it is intended to oversee ground-based air defence weaponry and oversee low-level airspace monitoring. It serves as India’s air defence network’s digital nerve centre, gathering data from various radars and sensors, such as AWACS and AEW&C platforms, and combining it into a unified operational picture. This allows for automated, real-time engagement decisions.
Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) /D-4 Anti-Drone systems developed by DRDO responded to Pakistani drones
Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the D4 Anti-Drone Systems is an indigenously developed drone detection and neutralisation system. The Indian forces used these to thwart Pakistani drone attacks during the conflict.
India’s C-UAS system, image via Economic Times
The Indian Air Force used a combination of anti-aircraft guns and surface-to-air missiles along with an integrated counter-UAS grid to take down Pakistani projectiles. The integrated counter-UAS grid was used to counter unmanned aircraft systems and neutralise drones and other incoming threats like missiles launched by Pakistan. This grid utilises multiple technologies, including radar and radio frequency sensors, to locate, identify, and track potential airspace threats. Once a threat is detected, the system can deploy various non-explosive countermeasures, like jamming radio signals and explosive countermeasures like firing an interceptor projectile. India used C-UAS against Pakistan in the last two attacks.
Akash Missile System
Developed by DRDO and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), the Akash Missile System is a medium-range-surface-to-air missile system designed to intercept and destroy various aerial threats like fighter jets, drones, and cruise missiles, with a range of 25-30 km and the ability to engage the targets at the altitude of over 20 km. This system is equipped with indigenous Rajendra radar and mobile launchers. It can not only track but also neutralise multiple targets simultaneously. An effective demonstration of the same was seen in India’s counter against Pakistan’s recent drone and missile attacks against Indian cities, religious sites and military infrastructure. Akash Missile System is fully operational in the Indian Army and Air Force. It is highly mobile and can be deployed on wheeled or tracked vehicles for rapid response.
Image via ANI
Akash system’s development has a story of its own. Recently, the former DRDO scientist Dr Prahlada Ramarao, the man who led the Akash system’s development, said that initially, the Indian Army had reservations about the system. However, Ramarao, the man chosen by none other than India’s “Missile Man”, former President APJ Abdul Kalam, went ahead and designed the Akash system.
“Initially, the Indian Army showed no interest in Akash. But we designed it to intercept high-speed threats like drones, missiles, helicopters, and even supersonic F-16 fighter jets flown by Pakistani pilots,” Dr Ramarao said in a television interview and expressed his joy over the success of his lifetime’s hardwork saying that “This is the happiest day of my life… to see the missile I helped build strike enemy aerial targets with such precision and elegance.”
It is essential to note here that Akashteer and Akash Missile System are complementary yet distinct components of India’s air defence system. Akashteer is an integrated air defence command and control system which coordinates with various air defence assets including Akash MRSAM by providing real-time situational awareness, automated threat prioritisation and data fusion from radars and sensors. Akashteer enables more efficient and faster responses using systems like Akash with others including Barak-8 or S-400 to create a multi-layered air defence.
Working in tandem, Akash MRSAM delivers the firepower to eliminate threats physically and Akashteer acts as the brain optimising target allocation and reducing reaction times. Aligning with India’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, these indigenously developed systems enhance India’s air defence capabilities, making revolutionising networked warfare.
BrahMos: The invincible
India reportedly launched its BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in a live battle for the first time as it carried out pinpoint strikes on Pakistani military installations, in the wee hours of 10th May. The Indian Air Force retaliated against attempts to violate the country’s airspace by targeting a number of key facilities deep into Pakistan, including Rafiqui, Murid, Nur Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur and Chunian. The airfields in Skardu, Bholari, Jacobabad and Sargodha were reported to have sustained more damage. Sialkot and Pasrur radar locations were also hit. Several accounts indicate that the BrahMos missile was probably one of the weapons used in tandem with Scalp and Hammer munitions.
Jointly developed by India and Russia, this long-range supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, is an unmanned payload rocket that has a warhead, precision-guided weaponry, an aerodynamic frame, a propulsion system and a guidance system. It is renowned for its exceptional accuracy. BrahMos has a solid propellant booster engine and is a two-stage missile. Its initial phase accelerates the missile over the speed of sound, or supersonic speed, before it separates. BrahMos is a combination of the initial syllables of the names of two major rivers: the Brahmaputra in India and the Moskva in Russia.
MRSAM Missile System
India has also used the MRSAM system in this attack. This is also a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, but it is capable of hitting a longer distance than the AKASH system. This has also been developed by DRDO. It has been made in collaboration with Israel. MRSAM consists of supersonic missiles. It is capable of hitting targets at a range of about 70 kilometres. MRSAM is currently used by the Indian Air Force and Navy. MRSAM can be mounted on trucks and is also installed on ships. Reports suggest that it has also been deployed at Indian Air Force bases.
The MRSAM system covers an area of about 2000 kilometres and immediately blows up any aerial threat coming in it. According to reports, MRSAM has also been used in this attack. MRSAM was inducted into the Air Force in 2021. Work is currently underway to further develop MRSAM.
Nagastra-1 loitering munition, SkyStriker loitering munition, and Pinaka Multi-Barrel rocket launcher: India’s diverse defence system used in Operation Sindoor
The Indian Armed Forces also used the Nagastra-1 man-portable loitering munition which is a suicide drone. Developed by Solar Industries with DRDO oversight, Nagastra-1 has a range of 15 to 20 km. It has an endurance of up to 60 minutes with a 1-2 kg warhead for precision strikes. Unlike traditional missiles, Nagastra-1 can be aborted mid-flight and recovered. In Operation Sindoor, this cost-effective loitering munition was used to target terrorist infrastructures deep inside Pakistan. Nagastra-1’s success demonstrates India’s surging expertise in low-cost, precision-guided munitions for asymmetric warfare.
Infographic via TNPSC CA
L-70 anti-aircraft gun
Apart from these missile systems, India also used L-70 anti-aircraft guns on a large scale to shoot down Pakistani drones. It was made by Sweden’s Bofors company and is manufactured in India by Larsen & Toubro. India has 1000 such anti-aircraft guns.
India has also strengthened them on many other technical fronts, including radar. The L-70 anti-aircraft gun is now capable of thwarting drone attacks on a large scale. It has a range of about 4 kilometres. It not only shoots down enemy drones by firing at them but also jams them.
India has deployed L-70 at many places in Jammu and Kashmir, north-eastern states and along the international border. Videos of L-70 shooting down several drones have also gone viral on social media. Many experts have said that most of the attacks on Jammu have been foiled by this anti-aircraft gun.
Apart from these Indian systems, India has used many similar air defence technologies against Pakistan, including Shilka, ZU-23 and S-400. Due to this, Pakistan has not been able to cause any damage to Indian cities. However, Lahore’s air defence has been destroyed in the attacks carried out by India.
Indigenous weapons: India’s necessity and pride
The immense success of Akash, BraMos, C-UAS and other indigenous systems gives a major boost to the Indian defence sector and bolsters confidence in the capabilities of native manufacturers to increase self-reliance in the defence arena. With indigenous defence systems outclassing Chinese and Turkish technology, as seen in Operation Sindoor, these systems would play a significant role in curbing India’s dependence on foreign suppliers. This self-reliance would not only save costs but also enhance strategic autonomy, which is at the core of India’s foreign policy under the Modi government. Indigenous systems are also vital as they are tailored to India’s unique security challenges like asymmetric threats and high-altitude warfare.
Interestingly, Operation Sindoor not only exposed how shallow and incompetent the Pakistani Armed Forces are but also exposed the effectiveness of Chinese air defence systems like HQ-9 as it failed to stop India’s precision strikes against Pakistan. With India proving the mettle of its indigenously developed weapons and defence systems, rendering Chinese and Turkish technology ineffective, global interest is shifting towards India’s defence sector. Combat-proven BrahMos and Akash systems are attracting global interest.
As per DRDO chairperson Samir V Kamat, BrahMos has intrigued many countries, including Indonesia. “Indonesia is interested…There are other countries also that have shown interest in Brahmos…Some countries in the Middle East and some other countries in Southeast Asia,” Kamat said.
The DRDO’s focus on developing next-generation systems like Akash-NG, BrahMos-II hypersonic missiles, among others, demonstrates that India is committed to remaining at the forefront of defence innovation. While this is not without challenges, India has sent a global message with its successful Operation Sindoor that the country is not going to tolerate Pakistani-sponsored Islamic terrorism anymore and would take decisive military action against terrorists, their funders, supporters and enablers. India’s defence system’s outperformance of Chinese and Turkish weapons has also positioned India as a key challenge to China’s dominance in the global arms market.
The effectiveness of the Akash system, Akashteer, D-4 C-UAS, BrahMos, and other indigenously developed defence systems exemplifies the success of the Make in India initiative. These systems essentially demonstrated reliability, precision, and combat effectiveness required to neutralise threats and strike terrorist targets with little to no collateral damage. The success of India’s very own defence technology in hammering the enemy and protecting Indians is a matter of national pride and establishes India as a credible player in the global arms market. With India continuing to innovate and scale production, the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision in the defence arena is transforming the country into a self-reliant military powerhouse.
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