NEW DELHI: From Turkish drones to Chinese missiles , and possibly even a few Pakistani aircraft, all were thwarted by India's integrated multi-layered air defence network during three days of intense hostilities, top military officers said on Monday.
"Our integrated air defence (AD) systems stood like a wall and they (Pakistan) could not breach it. Whether it's a Turkish drone or anything else, it fails in front of the technology of India," director general of air operations Air Marshal A K Bharti said.
"The sky remains ours," with a relatively impregnable AD shield, was the underlying message of the briefing he addressed with his Army and Navy counterparts, Lt-General Rajiv Ghai and Vice Admiral A N Pramod, on Monday.
"All our military bases, all our systems continue to remain fully operational. They are ready to undertake any future missions should the need arise," Air Marshal Bharti added.
The officers showed evidentiary photos of Pakistan having used Chinese-made PL-15 LR beyond visual range air-to-air missiles as well as Turkish-origin Byker Yiha kamikaze and Asisguard Songar drones, apart from long-range rockets, loiter munitions and quadcopters.
Most of them were shot down by India's AD systems, while the ones that got through caused only minimal damage. "Whenever Pakistan Air Force attacked us, it failed in front of our AD grid," Lt-Gen Ghai said.
As reported by TOI earlier, the AD network of surveillance and target-acquisition radars and a wide array of weapon systems are all plugged into the integrated air command and control system (IACCS) of the IAF and the Akashteer system to provide a composite real-time air picture to the armed forces.
The network stretches from the long-range Russian S-400 'Triumf' surface-to-air missile systems (380-km interception range) and Barak-8 medium range SAM systems (70-km), jointly developed with Israel, to the shoulder-fired Igla-S missiles (6-km) and the indigenous integrated drone detection and interdiction systems (1-2 km).
The indigenous Akash system, which is capable of intercepting hostile aircraft, helicopters and drones at a range of 25-km, falls in between. "Another highlight has been the stellar performance of indigenous AD weapons like Akash," Air Marshal Bharti said.
The IAF, as reported by TOI earlier, has inducted the bulk of the 15 squadrons of Akash-1 and 2 systems it has ordered for Rs 10,900 crore. The Army, in turn, has four Akash regiments worth Rs 22,340 crore, with more in the pipeline. A new-generation Akash weapon system, with an interception range of 30-km, is also now ready for the final trials.
The senior IAF officer also praised the "performance and efficacy" demonstrated by even older AD systems like the Pechora missiles, OSA-AK-m (10-km) and low-level L-70 anti-aircraft guns (3.5-km) in countering the "Pakistani threat vectors".
Of the 300 to 400 drones launched by Pakistan across the entire western front on May 8, for instance, 50 were destroyed by L-70 and ZU-23mm twin-barrel guns and other such weapons.
Another 20 drones were jammed and spoofed by a variety of devices, while the rest flew back across the border. At the other end of the spectrum, a Pakistani high-speed missile was intercepted over Sirsa by an advanced AD missile system on May 10.
Though the Navy's formidable "fleet air defence mechanism" did not come into play in the northern Arabian Sea, Vice Admiral Pramod said the presence of aircraft carrier INS Vikrant battlegroup, with MiG-29K fighters and early-warning helicopters, compelled the Pakistan Air Force to remain "bottled-up" close to the Makran coast.
"Our integrated air defence (AD) systems stood like a wall and they (Pakistan) could not breach it. Whether it's a Turkish drone or anything else, it fails in front of the technology of India," director general of air operations Air Marshal A K Bharti said.
"The sky remains ours," with a relatively impregnable AD shield, was the underlying message of the briefing he addressed with his Army and Navy counterparts, Lt-General Rajiv Ghai and Vice Admiral A N Pramod, on Monday.
"All our military bases, all our systems continue to remain fully operational. They are ready to undertake any future missions should the need arise," Air Marshal Bharti added.
The officers showed evidentiary photos of Pakistan having used Chinese-made PL-15 LR beyond visual range air-to-air missiles as well as Turkish-origin Byker Yiha kamikaze and Asisguard Songar drones, apart from long-range rockets, loiter munitions and quadcopters.
Most of them were shot down by India's AD systems, while the ones that got through caused only minimal damage. "Whenever Pakistan Air Force attacked us, it failed in front of our AD grid," Lt-Gen Ghai said.
As reported by TOI earlier, the AD network of surveillance and target-acquisition radars and a wide array of weapon systems are all plugged into the integrated air command and control system (IACCS) of the IAF and the Akashteer system to provide a composite real-time air picture to the armed forces.
The network stretches from the long-range Russian S-400 'Triumf' surface-to-air missile systems (380-km interception range) and Barak-8 medium range SAM systems (70-km), jointly developed with Israel, to the shoulder-fired Igla-S missiles (6-km) and the indigenous integrated drone detection and interdiction systems (1-2 km).
The indigenous Akash system, which is capable of intercepting hostile aircraft, helicopters and drones at a range of 25-km, falls in between. "Another highlight has been the stellar performance of indigenous AD weapons like Akash," Air Marshal Bharti said.
The IAF, as reported by TOI earlier, has inducted the bulk of the 15 squadrons of Akash-1 and 2 systems it has ordered for Rs 10,900 crore. The Army, in turn, has four Akash regiments worth Rs 22,340 crore, with more in the pipeline. A new-generation Akash weapon system, with an interception range of 30-km, is also now ready for the final trials.
The senior IAF officer also praised the "performance and efficacy" demonstrated by even older AD systems like the Pechora missiles, OSA-AK-m (10-km) and low-level L-70 anti-aircraft guns (3.5-km) in countering the "Pakistani threat vectors".
Of the 300 to 400 drones launched by Pakistan across the entire western front on May 8, for instance, 50 were destroyed by L-70 and ZU-23mm twin-barrel guns and other such weapons.
Another 20 drones were jammed and spoofed by a variety of devices, while the rest flew back across the border. At the other end of the spectrum, a Pakistani high-speed missile was intercepted over Sirsa by an advanced AD missile system on May 10.
Though the Navy's formidable "fleet air defence mechanism" did not come into play in the northern Arabian Sea, Vice Admiral Pramod said the presence of aircraft carrier INS Vikrant battlegroup, with MiG-29K fighters and early-warning helicopters, compelled the Pakistan Air Force to remain "bottled-up" close to the Makran coast.
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