Amit's Blog

Pakistan’s Air Defense Fiasco: Lessons from Operation Sindoor and India’s Path Ahead Pakistan’s air defense network, a hodgepodge of Chinese knock-offs, aging Western relics, and half-baked indigenous systems, crumbled spectacularly during India’s Operation Sindoor in May 2025. Interoperability issues, born of mismatched Chinese and Western tech, left Pakistan’s skies wide open to India’s stealthy SCALP missiles and Harop drones. Financial woes—$340 billion GDP, $7–8 billion defense budget, and a $30 billion Chinese debt—forced reliance on downgraded systems like the HQ-9P, while India’s $80–90 billion war chest powered a seamless Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS). China’s export strategy, keeping Pakistan on a tight leash, and inadequate training sealed the deal. This blog dissects Pakistan’s air defense debacle, contrasts it with India’s diversified prowess, and dives deep into what India must watch to stay ahead. With expert insights and a dash of irony, it’s a tal...

India’s Operation Sindoor: Western Expert Reactions and the Element of Surprise In May 2025, India executed Operation Sindoor, a series of precision strikes targeting Pakistani military facilities, including key airbases and radar sites, in response to alleged Pakistani aggression, notably the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. The operation marked a significant escalation from India’s 2019 Balakot airstrikes, targeting high-value military infrastructure deep inside Pakistan’s Punjab and Sindh provinces. Western experts, including defense analysts, military historians, and South Asia specialists, reacted with a mix of strategic approval, geopolitical concern, and surprise at the operation’s scale, precision, and audacity. This note synthesizes insights from expert reactions, focusing on their analyses rather than media narratives, and explores why the strikes caught Western circles off-guard despite ongoing monitoring of South Asian military capabilities. I...