"Less Than 50 Weapons Fired By IAF To End Conflict": Op Sindoor Exclusive

Three months since India's devastating strikes on terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the Vice Chief of the Air Staff shared new visuals and details of Operation Sindoor, the retaliatory action following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 people were killed. 

Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, speaking at NDTV Defence Summit, said that fewer than 50 weapons were fired by the Indian Air Force to bring Pakistan to the ceasefire table. 

"From the list of options presented, we had a large number of target sets. And finally, we boiled down to nine," said Air Marshal Tiwari at the NDTV Defence Summit. "Key takeaway for us, that in less than 50 weapons, we were able to achieve conflict elimination. So this is the essential part which I want you to take away."

"It is very easy to start a war, but not easy enough to end it. And that was an important consideration to keep in mind so that our forces were activated, they were deployed, and they were ready for any eventuality that would have come about," he added. 

He attributed the success to India's Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), which formed the backbone of both offensive and defensive operations. He explained that the system allowed India to absorb initial impacts and respond with a "hard-hitting reply" that compelled Pakistan to agree to de-escalation.

According to Air Marshal Tiwari, New Delhi's higher directives were threefold: punitive action had to be "visual and visible", messaging had to deter future attacks, and the armed forces were to be given full operational freedom with preparations made for possible escalation into conventional war.

"The important aspect which worked in our favour was that we were given complete operational freedom to plan any response to enemy actions. And that was a big positive because that shortened our decision cycles. And as you would see in the future when things panned out, we were up to speed with events that were occurring in real time," Air Marshal Tiwari said. 

After four days of precision missile strikes, drone incursions, and artillery battles across the Line of Control (LoC), India and Pakistan agreed to halt all military actions on land, air, and sea, with effect from the evening of May 10. Hours later, Pakistani drones were sighted and intercepted in various locations in Jammu and Kashmir, including Srinagar, and parts of Gujarat.

India said Pakistan has violated the ceasefire, adding that the armed forces were giving an "adequate and appropriate response". Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, in a press briefing shortly after that, stressed that India takes "very, very serious notice of these violations." 

At dawn on May 10, IAF aircraft launched BrahMos-A (air-launched) cruise missiles targeting key Pakistan Air Force (PAF) bases. The first confirmed impacts were at Chaklala near Rawalpindi and Sargodha in Punjab province. Both installations hold strategic aviation and logistics value for the Pakistan military. Confirmation of strikes on additional bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) - Jacobabad, Bholari, and Skardu - came only later in the evening after agencies concluded damage assessments through human and open source intelligence.

By the afternoon of May 10, after several of Pakistan's more aggressive tactical postures had been repelled by India, Major General Kashif Abdullah, Pakistan's DGMO, placed a direct call to his Indian counterpart, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai. The timing of the call, 1535 hrs IST, was later confirmed by Foreign Secretary Misri at a press briefing.