‘No target is beyond IAF’s reach’: How Operation Sindoor stunned Pakistan far beyond the border

New Delhi: Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, has said Operation Sindoor demonstrated the force’s ability to strike targets up to 200 kilometres inside the enemy territory across a 1,200-kilometre stretch of the western front. He said the operation proved that no target was beyond the IAF’s reach and that the force could carry out precise strikes whenever required.

“On the offensive side, calibrated targeting across the entire front, spanning 1,200 km in breadth and 200 km in depth, made it clear that no place is beyond the IAF's reach,” he said in an interview on Sunday (October 25).

He said the military offensive validated the IAF’s capability-based approach to warfare and demonstrated its role in responding swiftly to a crisis and deterring enemy attacks. The operation began in May last year in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. India carried out precision strikes against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The action was among India's most ambitious cross-border military operations since the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

Singh, who commanded the operation for four days, said that the experience had strengthened the case for building a force around a range of integrated military capabilities. He also emphasised the need to continue improving the IAF's operational strength.

“Operation Sindoor has proved that the path we have chosen is the right one. We will continue on this path with even greater determination so that, if the country needs us again, the Indian Air Force can act even faster and with greater precision and decisiveness on the country's terms,” he said.

How Operation Sindoor combined military strength

Singh said that the operation's success came from the combined use of intelligence, network-based operations, precision weapons, electronic warfare and air defence systems. The IAF also used weapons capable of striking targets from outside the enemy's effective firing range and systems built to counter unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

He said that no single aircraft or weapon system could take credit for the outcome. The operation involved several platforms and technologies working together as one system.

“Operation Sindoor was primarily a validation of the capability-based approach of the Air Force. We have started thinking in terms of capabilities rather than individual aircraft and weapon systems, integrating every aircraft, sensor, weapon and network,” he said.

He added that this approach allowed the IAF to respond according to operational requirements and adapt fast when the enemy changed its strategy.

“At the military operations level, the most important lesson is that we must always have multiple options available and maintain the ability to adapt fast to changes in the enemy's strategy,” he said.

According to Singh, a force built around different capabilities can use several options rather than depend on a single weapon or platform. This flexibility helped India determine the nature of its response and prevent the confrontation from escalating, he said.

Indigenous weapons and air defence systems

Singh said some of India's indigenously developed weapons performed exceptionally well during the operation. They hit targets deep in enemy territory and inflicted heavy damage. He also said the IAF ensured that its attacks did not cause damage to civilians or civilian property.

India's indigenous and network-based air defence system also played an important role in countering large numbers of drones and weapons launched by Pakistan, according to the air chief. He said that these defensive capabilities gave the country the confidence to carry out its operations.

The operation, he added, showed the importance of speed, accuracy, integration and the ability to adapt to changing battlefield conditions.

What IAF plans to improve next

Singh said that the IAF must continue strengthening its combat capabilities, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems, electronic warfare, anti-drone technology and secure networks. Artificial intelligence-based decision-support systems will also be important in improving the force's ability to respond to future threats.

He said that the Air Force would need stronger logistics, maintenance facilities and infrastructure to sustain high-intensity military operations over long periods. Increasing domestic production would also be essential to support these requirements.

Singh said that work was already under way across these areas.

The air chief said that the IAF's long-term plans were in line with the national goal of Viksit Bharat 2047. He said that a developed India must also be secure and capable of dealing with crises. The IAF must be able to protect the country's rising economic, technological and strategic interests across different domains of warfare.

Singh said that achieving this goal would require a nationwide effort. The IAF is committed to playing its part. The IAF, he said, aims to become one of the world's most capable, innovative and technologically self-reliant air forces by 2047. It seeks to protect India's security and support its progress.