SOURCE: AFI

On May 5, 2025, an Indian Navy Boeing P-8I maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) conducted operations over the Arabian Sea, drawing significant attention on social media. Flight tracking data revealed the aircraft’s position at 05:30 UTC, approximately 130-150 km from Pakistan Navy ships engaged in firing drills near Karachi, scheduled from 05:00 UTC on May 5 to 15:00 UTC on May 6. The P-8I’s estimated 350-km surface vessel detection range, as depicted in operational maps, covered a vast swathe of the ocean, extending deep inland towards Karachi and beyond.

This operation underscores the Indian Navy’s robust surveillance capabilities. Equipped with advanced sensors, the P-8I likely mapped not only Pakistan’s naval assets but also activities well into its coastal territory. This comes as a stark reality check for Pakistani observers who, on the previous night, shared videos claiming to have “tracked” the Indian aircraft. Far from being on the defensive, the P-8I’s vantage point suggests it held the upper hand, monitoring Pakistan’s drills comprehensively.

SOURCE: AFI

As geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan reach a boiling point in 2025, the specter of missile attacks on major Indian cities looms larger than ever before. The recent escalation, triggered by the April 22, 2025, terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people, has pushed the two nuclear-armed neighbors into a dangerous standoff.

With both nations now possessing advanced missile capabilities capable of striking each other’s urban centers, Indian civilians and authorities must brace for a potential conflict unlike any seen in the four wars fought between the two countries since 1947. For the first time, the threat of civilian casualties from missile strikes on major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, or Bengaluru is a grim possibility, necessitating mental and logistical preparedness for a protracted and unprecedented conflict.

SOURCE: AFI

Over the years, India’s military strategy towards Pakistan has often revolved around the concept of swift, punitive responses to provocations — exemplified by surgical strikes and air raids such as the Balakot operation in 2019. While short, sharp conflicts may satisfy immediate political and military objectives, they do little to permanently shift the strategic calculus in India’s favor. In fact, a short war, no matter how successful, risks international intervention, escalatory miscalculations, and only temporary deterrence.

Instead, India must pivot towards preparing for a long war — a sustained, multidimensional campaign that would exploit Pakistan’s deep economic vulnerabilities, stretch its military logistics, and force a reckoning within its national security establishment. Such a conflict, while demanding for India, could be disastrous for Pakistan, leading to long-term strategic degradation and possibly a collapse of its coercive leverage.

SOURCE: AFI

India’s defense capabilities received a major boost with the recent procurement of 26 Rafale-Marine (Rafale-M) aircraft for the Indian Navy, a deal signed on April 28, 2025, as reported by Republic World. This acquisition complements the 36 Rafale jets already in service with the Indian Air Force (IAF), but while the two variants share core technologies, the Rafale-M is uniquely tailored for naval operations. Here’s a closer look at how the Navy’s Rafale-M differs from the IAF’s Rafale fleet and what this means for India’s military strategy.

The Rafale-M is designed specifically for carrier-based operations, a stark contrast to the IAF’s Rafale C, which operates from land-based airfields. The Rafale-M features reinforced landing gear and a tail hook, enabling it to handle the stresses of landing on the short runways of aircraft carriers like INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. Its airframe is also strengthened to endure the rigors of catapult launches and arrested landings, a necessity for naval aviation but irrelevant for the IAF’s land-based operations.

SOURCE: AFI

The escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, particularly following the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 tourists, have underscored the need for India to leverage non-military tools to counter Pakistan’s sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. One potent strategy is to fund the construction of dams on Afghan rivers, such as the Kabul and Kunar, which flow into Pakistan’s Indus River system.

By supporting Afghanistan’s hydropower and irrigation projects, India can reduce water flows to Pakistan, exerting economic pressure on its agriculture-dependent economy while strengthening ties with Kabul. This approach, exemplified by India’s funding of the Shahtoot Dam, aligns with New Delhi’s broader geopolitical strategy to isolate Pakistan and promote regional stability, serving as a precursor to any kinetic actions.