‘India Went To War With A Chinese Proxy And Dominated...’: Expert John Spencer On Op Sindoor

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Last Updated:July 01, 2025, 14:09 IST

India launched the operation targeting terror groups in Pakistan and PoK on May 7, a response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 25 tourists and a local pony operator.

Indian Army destroys Pakistani posts (ANI Image)

India dominated “Chinese equipment" deployed by Pakistan during their four-day conflict in May, a highlight of ‘Operation Sindoor’ that could be of interest to observers, especially since Beijing is Washington’s biggest geopolitical competitor, according to John Spencer, a US Army veteran and warfare researcher.

“This was a test of Chinese military systems….India just went to war with a Chinese proxy and dominated…," he told CNN-News18’s Zakka Jacob in an exclusive interview. “That’s about a lot of interest to a lot of people and part of the study as well," he said, commenting on how ‘Operation Sindoor’, which the Indian leadership says has paved the way for a “new normal" in counterterrorism efforts.

India launched the operation targeting terror groups in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7, a response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 25 tourists and a local pony operator. Pakistan army retaliated against Indian civilian targets after India’s precision strikes against the terror sites, drawing a swift retaliation that forced Islamabad to request a ceasefire.

Pakistan is completely dependent on China to keep its arsenal updated and modern. According to multiple reports, its air defence comprises missile systems such as Chinese-built long-range HQ-9, medium-range LY-80 (HQ-16) and short-range FM-90 (HQ-7).

Pakistan also flies the Chinese JL-10, or the L-15 Falcon, an advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft. It has the PL‑15 advanced long-range air-to-air missile deployed on J‑10 fighters. During the four-day conflict in May, Pakistan also used Chinese and Turkish drones to launch attacks on India.

India, on the other hand, deployed the Akashteer, an automated command, control and communication system for air defence, and Akash, a medium-range surface-to-air missile, achieving an almost 100% kill rate against Pakistani drones. India’s Russia-supplied S-400 systems too helped the country’s military in building an impenetrable air defence.

In response to Pakistan’s aggression, India’s supersonic cruise missile, Brahmos, tore down Pakistan’s air defences. India also sent Israeli HAROP, Polish WARMATE and domestically-produced UAVs into Pakistani airspace, according a Reuters report that cited one Indian and two Pakistan sources.

In the CNN-News18 interview, Spencer also stressed why “every bit" of ‘Operation Sindoor’ was intriguing, even as he touched upon the drone war between the two sides and the barrage of misinformation, largely fanned by Pakistani social media handles. He underlined the strategic change in New Delhi’s doctrine towards terrorism to the use of made-in-India indigenous systems and technologies, and said the the Indian leadership had made it clear that Pakistan’s nuclear bluff wouldn’t work.

He spoke of India’s actions post-2008 Mumbai attacks and buttressed that 2025 saw a different kind of response under a different government, in a world that has changed a lot. “…analysing every bit of what happened, why it happened, what major decisions were made and when, and then the lessons not just India took from them but the rest of the world," he summed up the significance of ‘Operation Sindoor’.

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