🔆 Key Takeaways: Operation Sindoor and the Rise of Autonomous Warfare ✅ Context: • Operation Sindoor, launched by India in May 2025 after the Pahalgam terror attack, marked a historic shift in South Asian military strategy. • First high-intensity conflict between nuclear-armed rivals to rely heavily on Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and AI-driven tools. ✅ Strategic & Technological Shifts: • India and Pakistan redefined rules of engagement using armed drones, loitering munitions, and AI-based surveillance. • No manned air missions; warfare was short-duration and tech-driven. ✅ India’s Deployment and Capabilities: • Used Heron MK-II, TAPAS-BH-201/Rustom-II MALE UAVs for ISR missions. • Deployed Nagastra-1, Harop drones, and swarm drone formations for radar evasion and saturation. • Integrated Akash, Akash-NG, SPYDER, and S-400 systems for multi-layered air defense. • IACCS displayed Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) — using lasers and microwaves to neutralise drones. • Akashteer system enabled real-time sensor-weapon coordination for Army Air Defence. ✅ Pakistan’s Retaliation: • Used Shahpar-II, Burraq, Bayraktar TB2, CH-4, Wing Loong II UAVs. • Deployed CH-901, WS-43 loitering munitions, and kamikaze drones across a 1,500 km range. ✅ India’s Multi-layer Defence: • IACCS network remained operational and resilient, supported by satellite uplinks, mobile radars, and failover mesh architecture. • Defence built on legacy LLAD + modern SPYDER, Akash, Barak-8, and S-400 systems. • Barak-8 defended strategic nodes; S-400 (Sudarshan Chakra) offered long-range coverage. ✅ Theatre Implications: • Operation Sindoor was a doctrinal breakthrough: warfare moved from troops to tech. • Warfare now shaped by algorithms, drones, and digital deterrence—a defining shift for future conflict. #defence #technology #indiasecurity #operationsindoor #security