Operation Sindoor: Air Power as India’s Decisive Edge
By Sanjeev Oak
Operation Sindoor was not just another counter-terror mission; it was the definitive demonstration of India’s ability to project calibrated air power, neutralize Pakistan-based threats, and emerge without attrition. Rafales, precision strikes, and layered defences ensured a one-sided, disciplined show of force.
Air Power, Not Attrition
When Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan explained why air power was central to Operation Sindoor, he underscored a truth often lost in conventional debates: speed, precision, and psychological dominance matter more than raw numbers. Unlike the attritional warfare of the past, India showcased a doctrine of limited yet punishing air dominance.
“Operation Sindoor proved that calibrated air power can achieve strategic goals without escalating into a full-scale war.”
Unlike 1965 or 1971, the skies this time were not contested. India chose the timing, selected the targets, and executed strikes without suffering combat losses. For a region long accustomed to “both-sides” narratives, this asymmetry was the message.
Rafale: The Decisive Factor
The induction of Rafales has quietly altered South Asia’s aerial balance. Their Meteor beyond-visual-range missiles, advanced AESA radars, and electronic warfare suites gave India a deterrence shield Pakistan could not pierce.
“No Indian Rafale was even threatened; their very presence altered Pakistan’s calculus.”
Pakistani attempts at scrambling fighters fizzled out. Confronted with Rafale-backed formations, their F-16s and JF-17s never crossed into strike profiles. This absence of attrition wasn’t luck; it was the design of superior technology, doctrine, and preparation.
Integrated Defences: Denying Pakistan Escalation
India’s integrated air defence network — blending indigenous Akash, Russian-origin S-400, and networked surveillance — ensured Pakistani counter-strikes were either aborted or neutralized. Unlike 2019 Balakot, when Islamabad attempted a face-saving riposte, this time there was no room.
“Operation Sindoor left Pakistan without military options — a silent admission of India’s superiority.”
That absence of retaliation is itself a strategic outcome: deterrence by denial.
Sectoral Impacts: Beyond the Battlefield
- Defence Strategy
- Operation Sindoor validated India’s investment in next-gen fighters, drones, and precision strike systems.
- It signalled a doctrinal shift from reactive postures to preemptive calibrated offensives.
- Diplomacy
- Far from international censure, India found tacit support. The world, weary of Pakistan’s terror linkages, saw the strikes as self-defence under international law.
- Washington, Paris, and even Moscow avoided equating the aggressor and the victim.
- Technology Edge
- The Rafale effect mirrors what Sukhois did in the early 2000s: redefining regional benchmarks. Pakistan’s F-16 fleet looks dated; its JF-17s irrelevant.
- Indigenous programs like Tejas Mk-II and AMCA gain strategic credibility as part of this ecosystem.
- Economy of Security
- By avoiding escalation and attrition, India demonstrated cost-efficient deterrence.
- A limited air campaign prevented prolonged mobilization, saving billions in opportunity costs while still achieving strategic objectives.
The Message to Pakistan
The deepest message of Operation Sindoor was not just that India can strike; it was that Pakistan cannot meaningfully respond. This is a deterrent that shapes behaviour.
“For Pakistan, the silence after Sindoor was louder than any retaliation.”
By removing the old “fear of escalation,” India has written a new script for South Asian stability: strikes are possible, calibrated, and survivable.
Global Context
In an era of shifting alliances, Operation Sindoor also repositions India as a model of responsible power projection. Unlike Russia’s maximalist campaigns or America’s long wars, India delivered a surgical, time-bound, and law-grounded mission.
This contrast reinforces India’s credibility as both a security provider in the Indo-Pacific and a partner of choice for defence-industrial collaboration. France’s Rafale role, Israel’s UAV support, and indigenous radar networks all converged to make Sindoor a multinational-technological success story under Indian command.
The Sindoor Doctrine
Operation Sindoor will be remembered less as a “raid” and more as the moment India institutionalized a doctrine:
- Use air power for decisive punitive impact.
- Neutralize threats with minimal attrition.
- Exploit technological superiority for psychological dominance.
“Sindoor has set a new normal: India does not wait, does not bleed, and does not blink.”
This is not just air warfare. It is strategic communication — written in contrails across South Asia’s skies.