SOURCE: AFI
Recent reports suggest that Pakistan employed a calculated strategy during its clashes with India, using unarmed Turkish drones as bait to pinpoint the locations of India’s advanced air defense systems, including the Russian-made S-400 Triumf operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF). The tactic, part of a broader drone offensive, aimed to expose vulnerabilities in India’s air defense network but ultimately failed, with Pakistan’s subsequent launch of three Chinese-made anti-radiation missiles proving ineffective. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Adampur air base, where he addressed personnel with the intact S-400 in the background, has effectively debunked Pakistan’s claims of success.
According to information circulating on defense platforms, Pakistan’s recent military engagements with India involved deploying numerous Turkish-origin drones, likely the Bayraktar Akinci or Asisguard Songar models, as decoys. These unarmed drones were sent across the Line of Control (LoC) and international border to provoke Indian radar systems, including the S-400’s sophisticated detection arrays, into activation. The strategy hinged on using the drones to trigger radar emissions, allowing Pakistan to map the precise locations of India’s air defense assets, particularly the S-400 batteries deployed at strategic sites like Adampur in Punjab.
The move came in the wake of Operation Sindoor, India’s precision strikes on Pakistani terror camps in May 2025, which prompted a retaliatory drone and missile barrage from Pakistan. While the drones were intercepted by India’s integrated air defense network, the intent was not destruction but intelligence gathering—a tactic reminiscent of modern warfare techniques seen in conflicts like Ukraine-Russia, where decoys are used to degrade enemy defenses.
Following the drone foray, Pakistan escalated its efforts by firing at least three Chinese-manufactured anti-radiation missiles, possibly variants of the CM-400AKG or similar systems, designed to home in on radar signatures. The missiles were intended to neutralize the S-400’s radar and command components, which are critical to its long-range interception capabilities. However, sources indicate that these strikes were unsuccessful, with the S-400’s advanced electronic countermeasures and India’s layered defense systems, including the Akash and Barak-8, thwarting the attack.
Pakistan’s military had claimed significant damage to the Adampur S-400 battery, releasing videos and morphed satellite imagery to support its narrative. These claims, however, have been widely disputed, with evidence suggesting the missiles either missed their targets or were neutralized mid-flight. The failure underscores the S-400’s resilience, often dubbed India’s “Sudarshan Chakra,” and raises questions about the accuracy and effectiveness of Pakistan’s anti-radiation weaponry.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a decisive rebuttal to Pakistan’s propaganda on May 13, 2025, with a surprise visit to the Adampur air base. Accompanied by Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, Modi interacted with IAF personnel, standing before an intact S-400 system and a MiG-29 jet. The visit, captured in widely circulated images and videos, showcased the airbase’s operational readiness, directly contradicting Pakistan’s assertions of destruction.
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