India on Wednesday asserted it circumvented Pakistan’s air defence systems of Chinese origin ( like the HQ-9 missile batteries and radars) during operation Sindoor to carry out the strikes against the nine terror hubs without crossing the border on May 7. The IAF bypassed and jammed Pakistan’s Chinese supplied air defence system completing the mission within 25 minutes demonstrating India’s technological edge.
So, what happened here? Has India suddenly found a technological edge over China?
China has supplied its all weather ally and ‘Iron Clad Friend’ Pakistan with HQ-9 and LY-80 missile defence systems, which are considered derivatives of the Russian S-300. These systems, when integrated with radar networks, are designed to intercept aircraft, drones, and even cruise missiles. But during Operation Sindoor, India’s indigenously developed supersonic cruise missiles like Brahmos and drones like the Sky Striker kamikaze drones and tactical swarm drones managed to evade these radars and carry out simulated strikes successfully.
The Power of Brahmos: Brahmos ( the name derived from India’s Brahmaputra and Russia’s Moskva) flies at a speed of Mach 2.8 ( which is roughly 3700km/hr) which means that it travels three times faster than the speed of sound. It is produced by BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd a Delhi based joint venture between Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya or NPOM. It designed to be launched from land, air, sea and even submarines making it one of the most lethal weapons in our arsenal. In 2019 the range of the home grown Brahmos was increased from 250km to 400km. Just having Brahmos in its arsenal give India psychological edge in the region.
The success of Operation Sindoor has raised questions about the effectiveness of Chinese-made air defense systems. The inability of Pakistan’s HQ-9 and LY-80 systems to counter the Indian missiles has sparked debates regarding the reliability of such equipment in actual combat scenarios.
Furthermore, the operation underscores India’s growing capabilities in precision strikes and electronic warfare, highlighting a significant shift in the regional military balance.
The powers that be in China must be worried about the ineffectiveness and inability of the Chinese Defence system to counter India’s missiles and drones. China’s defence budget might be three times to that of India’s but it seems India’s elephant is mightier than Chinese Dragon.
