S-400 unit reportedly destroyed a Pakistani special-mission aircraft at 314 km
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Defence’s Annual Report 2025-26 has provided the most detailed official account yet of Indian Air Force operations during Operation Sindoor, the four-day military confrontation with Pakistan in May 2025.
The report highlights precision strikes on Pakistani air bases, command centres and runways, along with what it describes as the longest surface-to-air kill achieved by an Indian S-400 unit, the destruction of a Pakistani special-mission aircraft at a range of 314 kilometres.
Operation Sindoor was launched on 7 May 2025 in response to the 22 April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people.
India initially conducted precision strikes on nine terror-related targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan’s subsequent military response, including attempts to hit Indian installations and the use of drones and missiles, led to a wider confrontation that lasted until a ceasefire on 10 May.
Targets Hit by the Indian Air Force
According to the Ministry’s report, the IAF successfully targeted four aircraft hangars housing fighter aircraft, airborne early-warning and control (AEW&C) platforms and unmanned combat aerial vehicles. Multiple F-16s at Jacobabad, one AEW&C aircraft and several UCAVs of the Akinci and TB-2 classes were destroyed or damaged.
Facilities at Jacobabad, Bholari, Sukkur and Murid were among those hit, with satellite imagery cited in the report to document the damage.
Runways at Sargodha and Rahim Yar Khan were also struck to degrade Pakistan’s ability to sustain air operations. The Ministry compared the accuracy of these strikes to the IAF’s neutralisation of airfields in East Pakistan during the 1971 war.
Command-and-control centres at Chaklala and Murid were destroyed. Chaklala was of particular significance as it housed the headquarters of the Pakistan Air Force’s Air Defence Command.
The 314-km S-400 Engagement
The report’s most prominent claim appears under the heading “Longest Surface-to-Air Kill.” An Indian S-400 unit tracked and destroyed a Pakistani special-mission aircraft at a distance of 314 km.
The Ministry stated that Indian radars tracked the target “in silence” before guiding a long-range missile to the far boundary of its engagement envelope.
The engagement was presented as proof that distance no longer offered protection from India’s air-defence systems and that “no point on ground or in air was beyond reach of IAF offensive elements.”
Integrated Air Defence and Aftermath
The IAF’s indigenous Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) formed the backbone of India’s air-defence effort.
Military and civil surveillance sensors were integrated to create a common Recognised Air Situation Picture, with networked tactical nodes enabling rapid identification and classification of aerial threats while safeguarding civilian air traffic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Air Force Station Adampur on 12 May 2025 to commend the personnel involved. On 15 August 2025, 219 Presidential Gallantry Awards were conferred on IAF air warriors for their role in the operation.
The Defence Ministry characterised India’s overall response as “calibrated but punitive,” aimed at demonstrative compellence through precise military action to halt further escalation.
The newly released annual report provides the first comprehensive official documentation of the scale and nature of the IAF’s actions during the brief but intense conflict.
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