Some Pak drones were found intact during Op Sindoor: Chief of Defence Staff

Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan said on Wednesday that some of the drones shot by Pakistan during the four-day conflict with India in May were found intact, implying that they may have not even functioned. The neighbouring nation sent a barrage of drones on India's border states in retaliation for Operation Sindoor, which was launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

He said that Pakistan used unarmed drones and loitering munitions during the conflict, stressing that none of them were able to inflict any damage to the Indian military or civil infrastructure.

"Most were neutralised through a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic means, and some were even recovered in almost intact condition," CDS Chauhan said in an address at a workshop in Delhi.

He also commended indigenous weapons, which the top Army general said played a significant role during Operation Sindoor. "Operation Sindoor has shown us why indigenously developed counter-UAS systems, built for our terrain and our needs, are crucial. We must invent and build to safeguard ourselves," Chauhan said

The Chief of Defence Staff said that recent global conflicts demonstrated how drones can "shift tactical balance disproportionately", even as he emphasised that self-reliance is India's "strategic imperative".

"We cannot rely on imported technologies that are crucial for our offensive and defensive missions... Dependence on foreign technologies weakens our preparedness, limits our ability to scale up production, results in a shortfall of critical spares for sustenance and round-the-clock availability," the CDS added.

Chauhan pointed out that designing, making and innovating at home also ensures that the abilities of weapons remain a secret to enemies and can take them by surprise. "When we design, make and innovate at home, we secure our secrets, cut cost, retain and initiate our scale of production and maintain round-the-clock readiness," he said during the address.

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