The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday night foiled an aerial attack by Pakistan which came in retaliation to India's terror-base specific response 'Operation Sindoor'. According to the defence ministry, the attempts were neutralised by deploying the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems.
As per the official statement, Pakistan attempted to strike multiple military targets across northern and western India including bases in Awantipora, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Bhuj.
The missile debris were found in several areas. Identifying a fragment of a missile, SHO Jandiala Harchand Singh Sandhu told ANI, "It is a portion of a missile. I am ensuring safety measures are followed here."
What Did The Official Statement Say?
"In the night of 07-08 May 2025, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles", the official statement read.
"These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks", it further added.
As per the statement, on Thursday morning, Indian Armed Forces retaliated by neutralising Pakistan's Air Defence Radars and systems at various locations.
What Is UAS?
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are typically defined as airborne vehicles that are capable of functioning without carrying a human operator. These are either remotely piloted or can fly autonomously.
According to India Smart Grid Forum, a UAS generally consists of an aircraft with no pilot on board, a remote pilot station, a command and control link, and a specific payload requited for the particular mission.
It often carries specialized cameras or other sensors that aid in data collection for research and analysis. In addition, they also have certain means of transmitting collected data for analysis.
These speacialized airborne vehicles find their usage in both defense and civil/commercial platforms.
Defence usually utilises the medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) and high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) systems alongside the tactical surveillance systems while the vast majority of civil/commercial UAS are smaller in size.
