New Delhi: Fresh off the success of Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is setting its sights on something far more strategic – decoding the deadly secrets of Chinese and Turkish weaponry. After Pakistan’s swift climbdown during the military offensive, India is tightening its military grip not just through brute force, but with intelligence and preparation.
Sources say New Delhi now holds rare and valuable war data on Chinese and Turkish military hardware, including missiles, drones and radar systems, captured or intercepted during the operation.
For the first time, India is in possession of combat-level data on the PL-15 air-to-air missile, Turkey’s YIHA drones and even components of the JF-17 and J-10 fighter jets – long the pride of Beijing and Islamabad’s arsenals.
And India is not stopping there.
To ensure the IAF has the upper hand in any future conflict, the Defence Ministry has initiated a multi-layered plan. At the heart of it is the acquisition of six new Embraer aircraft from Brazil. These planes will be fitted with India’s own Netra Mk1A radar systems – a boost to airborne surveillance capabilities.
A deal has been parallelly greenlit to lease an American KC-135 mid-air refueling aircraft. Talks are also on to procure six more aerial tankers, a move aimed at ensuring the Indian jets stay longer in hostile airspace with refueling no longer a concern.
Why this sudden urgency? Because Pakistan, rattled after Operation Sindoor, is leaning harder on China and Turkey for support. Beijing is reportedly rushing Yuan-class submarines, armed drones and frigates to Islamabad. Meanwhile, Ankara is busy upgrading Pakistani submarines and churning out corvettes and F-16 spares.
Pakistan’s AEW&C fleet, including Swedish SAAB-2000 and Chinese ZDK-03 aircraft, remains a challenge. They are capable of detecting Indian aircraft up to 350 km away. But India’s response is fast and calculated. New AWACS aircraft, coupled with the deadly precision of the S-400 missile system (which shot down a Pakistani aircraft from over 300 km away during the operation), signals a shift in the power balance.
India is matching the threat, studying it, decoding it and preparing to outsmart it.
Experts at DRDO and military think tanks are now poring over fragments and digital logs of enemy drones, air defense systems and missiles. The goal? To build a counter-strategy so comprehensive that the next time tensions flare, India will not only respond, it will dominate.
While Pakistan scrambles for allies and secondhand arms, India is building an ecosystem, which is tech-powered, forward-looking and battle-tested. With its eyes on the skies and a plan grounded in precision, New Delhi is no longer playing catch-up. It is setting the rules.
Stay informed on all the , real-time updates, and follow all the important headlines in and on Zee News.
