Our Bureau
New Delhi
India’s Air Defence System was a key factor in keeping the region safe when the tensions between India and Pakistan escalated recently. After the successful Operation Sindoor carried out by the Indian Armed Forces, many praises were hurled at India’s defence systems as well as the Air force which disrupted the Pakistani drone and missile attacks and helped hit successful targets.
Many asked questions on how India was able to carry out such precise strikes while defending their soil so brilliantly from the drone and missile attacks from across the border. The Air Force Network (AFNET) introduced in 2010 and Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) thus developed were key factors in India securing its territories and attacking the opposing nation with precision.
The IACCS brought together the air defence systems from army, navy and air forces of the nation giving India the edge. The IACCS also has a homegrown air defence system called Akashteer system which forms an impregnable wall of defence protecting the country. This was the main defensive restraint that India had when the drones and missiles attacked India’s military and civilian areas.
The Akashteer system is a homegrown, fully autonomous defence system. It was able to intercept and stop any Pakistani drones, missiles, micro UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and other loitering munitions. Pakistan defence experts were baffled by these systems and admitted that they had seen nothing like it before. It is a system that is designed to automatically detect, track and engage with the enemy aircraft, drones and missiles.
While India had the excellent home grown Akashteer, Pakistan had the defence systems which were of Chinese-origins – HQ-9 and HQ-16. These defence systems completely failed to detect and intercept Indian strikes and offered little to no hindrance to them. Indian Military Forces reported that they carried out Operation Sindoor under 23 minutes as they were easily able to jam the defence systems of Pakistan.
With IACCS at the helm, India has joined an elite group of nations which have an automated and integrated AD C&R capability. It also has the fastest detect and strike system than any other defence system in the world. On the back of such a strong Air Defence system, India has a clear edge over its terror-sponsoring counterpart and can retaliate to demolish terror camps by entering their territory.
