India deployed Barak-8 missiles, S-400 systems, Akash missiles to thwart Pak attempts to hit Indian cities

New Delhi: India deployed Barak-8 missiles, S-400 Triumph air defence systems, Akash surface-to-air missiles and indigenously developed anti-drone equipment in thwarting Pakistan’s attempts to hit 15 Indian cities on Wednesday night, official sources said on Friday.Pakistani military attempted to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj using missiles and drones.

Every single one of those missiles was intercepted or neutralised and none reached its intended target, the sources said.The Pakistani military attempted to target the Indian cities in response to India’s Operation Sindoor under which nine terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir were smashed early Wednesday.”The Integrated Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Grid, S-400 Triumph systems, Barak-8 missiles, Akash Surface-to-Air Missiles, and DRDO’s anti-drone technologies came together seamlessly to create an aerial shield that held firm,” said a source.

“India didn’t stop at defending. It retaliated with speed and precision. Operation Sindoor saw the Indian Armed Forces strike deep into Pakistani territory, destroying an HQ-9 air defence unit in Lahore and damaging key radar infrastructure,” the source said.India’s rapid, coordinated response showcased the strength of its air defence ecosystem, built over the past 11 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and “exposed the hollowness” of the Pakistani air defence system, the sources said.

Operation Sindoor also marked the combat debut of loitering munitions — the “suicidal drones” ordered in 2021 and manufactured in India.”These drones executed simultaneous, precision strikes across sectors, taking Pakistan’s defences by complete surprise,” the source said.Additionally, Israeli-origin Harop drones – ”now locally built – ”were deployed to target and destroy air defence assets in Karachi and Lahore, the sources said.These platforms, combined with the strategic deployment of Rafale fighter jets equipped with SCALP and HAMMER missiles, demonstrated India’s capability to project power with surgical precision, they said.