No enemy aircraft was allowed to come within hundreds of kilometres of Indian territory during Pakistan's attempts to target the country's installations last week, Director General of Naval Operations, Vice Admiral A N Pramod, said on Monday.
The presence of the navy's aircraft carrier, with a large number of MiG-29K fighters and airborne early warning helicopters, prevented any suspicious or hostile aircraft from coming close to the "Carrier Battle Group", he added.
The Vice Admiral made the remarks at a joint press briefing on 'Operation Sindoor' that was launched by the armed forces to target terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) on the intervening night of May 7 and 8, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists - 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen - on April 25.
India's retaliation prompted the forces to be on alert as Pakistan made three attempts to target military installations using drones and missiles in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The threats were swiftly neutralised, according to the Defence Ministry.
Mr Pramod was joined by Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai and Director General Air Operations Air Vice Marshal AK Bharti.
"The Indian Navy maintains credible capability to detect, identify and neutralize any aerial platforms that threaten our units at sea...To sum up, the Indian Navy's dominance ensured that, should we choose to, we can strike at will," he said.
"Navy Works As A Composite Force"
Mr Pramod explained that the maritime force operates as a composite naval force that can address air, surface, and subsurface threats.
"In effect the maritime force is able to ensure persistent surveillance, detection and identification for a comprehensive maritime domain awareness including the air space. Effectively using multiple sensors and inputs, we are maintaining continuous surveillance to degrade or neutralize threats as they emerge or manifest, to ensure targeting at extended ranges," he said.
He said the fleet maintains a surveillance bubble at extended ranges using advanced radars. "Any aerial target that attempts to penetrate this bubble is detected and identified using various techniques and technologies, affording quick and clear distinction between commercial, neutral and hostile aircraft or flying objects at ranges in excess of the anticipated attack range. The Carrier Battle Group with its integral Air Wing provides the first layer of this layered mechanism. Adequately equipped and trained to a high degree of proficiency our pilots are able to operate both by day and night," he said.
The Vice Admiral said that over the past few years, and most importantly after the Pahalgam terror attack, India validated its anti missile and anti aircraft defence capability in a complex threat environment using a cross platform cooperative mechanism.
"Our powerful CBG, with formidable offensive capability was able to operate with impunity and maintained an uncontested presence in the area of operations. Effectively it compelled the Pakistani Air Elements to remain bottled up close to the Makaran coast denying any opportunity to be a threat in maritime space," he said.
"Indian Navy Was Ready To Strike Karachi"
On Sunday, Mr Pramod said that the Navy's deployment in the Arabian Sea during Operation Sindoor virtually forced the Pakistan forces to remain in the harbour or near the coast.
In remarks that signalled for the first time the Indian Navy's role in the Pahalgam terror attack counterstrike, he said: "We tested and refined tactics and procedures at sea during multiple weapon firings in the Arabian Sea within 96 hours of terrorist attack. The aim was to revalidate our crew, armaments, equipment and platform readiness to deliver various ordnance on selected targets precisely."
The Naval forces, the senior officer said, remained in a "deterrent posture with full readiness and capacity to strike select targets at sea and on land, including Karachi, at a time of our choosing".
"The forward deployment of the Indian Navy compelled Pakistani naval and air units to be in a defensive posture, mostly inside harbours or very close to the coast, which we monitored continuously," he said, adding that the Navy remained alert throughout the conflict between India and Pakistan, before a ceasefire was announced on Saturday.
