The Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a series of precision strikes against Pakistani military infrastructure during Operation Sindoor, with the Ministry of Defence revealing new details of the operation in its Annual Report 2025–26. The report, released in September 2026, outlines the targets engaged by the IAF and highlights the role of India’s air defence network during the four-day military confrontation in May 2025.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, 2025, following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. The initial Indian strikes focused on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. As the situation escalated and Pakistan launched drone and missile attacks against Indian positions, the IAF expanded its operations against Pakistani military assets.
According to the Defence Ministry’s account, the IAF subsequently targeted several Pakistani military locations, including air bases, air defence installations, command centres, radars and runways. Among the air bases identified were Nur Khan and Rahim Yar Khan, while other targets included facilities at Chaklala, Sukkur, Sargodha, Jacobabad and Bholari.
One of the significant engagements took place at Jacobabad on May 10, where the IAF targeted four aircraft hangars. The Defence Ministry said the hangars housed fighter aircraft, airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platforms and unmanned combat aerial vehicles. Multiple F-16 aircraft were reportedly destroyed or damaged, along with an AEW&C aircraft and several Turkish-origin Akinci and TB2-class unmanned systems.
The report also highlighted damage to runways at Sargodha and Rahim Yar Khan and the destruction of command-and-control facilities at Chaklala and Murid. Several Pakistani radars and surface-to-air weapon locations were also targeted during the operation, reflecting the IAF’s focus on degrading Pakistan’s military infrastructure and air-defence capabilities.
India’s air defence network played a major role in countering Pakistan’s retaliatory drone and missile attacks. The IAF operated a layered system that included the indigenous Akash missile system as well as Pechora and OSA-AK platforms. The Integrated Air Command and Control System helped coordinate surveillance and air-defence assets to respond to incoming aerial threats.
Another major revelation in the Defence Ministry’s report concerns an engagement involving India’s S-400 air defence system. The report states that an Indian S-400 unit intercepted and destroyed a Pakistani special-mission aircraft at a distance of 314 kilometres. The engagement has been described as a significant demonstration of India’s long-range air-defence capability.
The newly released details provide a broader picture of the IAF’s role during Operation Sindoor, showing that the campaign went beyond the initial strikes on terror infrastructure and developed into attacks against military airfields, air-defence systems and command facilities. The operation also highlighted the growing integration of India’s fighter aircraft, precision weapons, surveillance systems and layered air-defence network.