New Delhi: In a major escalation, the Indian Armed Forces have employed Harpy drones to strike enemy air defense systems inside Pakistan, including a successful operation that neutralized an air defense installation in Lahore.
The Harpy drone, designed specifically for Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD), is equipped with an Anti-Radiation (AR) seeker and a high-explosive warhead. It can autonomously detect, locate, and destroy emitting radar systems even in GNSS-denied environments, operating effectively day or night and in all weather conditions for up to nine hours.
The strike followed Operation Sindoor, an Indian precision mission that destroyed nine terrorist camps linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen. Four camps were located inside Pakistan, with five others in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Key targets included sites in Bahawalpur, Muridke, Sarjal, Mehmoona Joya, and various PoJK regions such as Bhimber, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad.
In retaliation, Pakistan launched drone and missile strikes on multiple Indian military locations across Northern and Western India on the night of May 7. Targets included bases in Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, and Bhuj. However, the attacks were thwarted by India’s Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and Air Defense systems, including the S-400 Sudarshan Chakra missile systems, which successfully intercepted incoming threats.
Following this, the Indian Armed Forces launched coordinated strikes on Pakistani air defense infrastructure, with confirmed reports indicating the destruction of key radar systems. While an official government statement is awaited, defense sources have confirmed successful mission outcomes.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has intensified cross-border shelling along the Line of Control (LoC), using mortars and heavy artillery in sectors including Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar, and Rajouri. The attacks have resulted in the deaths of 16 civilians, including three women and five children.
The Indian Armed Forces have reiterated their commitment to non-escalation, stating that further action will be contingent on Pakistan halting its unprovoked aggression.
