India Neutralises Pak's Drone Barrage; Know What Is S-400 Air Defence System & How Army Uses It

The Indian government announced on Thursday that it neutralised a Pakistani air-defence system in Lahore, hours after intercepting a wave of drones and missiles targeting military sites in northern and western India. The Ministry of Defence described the response as precise and proportionate to Pakistan’s overnight attacks.

“Today morning Indian Armed Forces targeted air-defence radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with the same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an air-defence system at Lahore has been neutralised,” the Ministry of Defence said.

Pakistan Attack Negated

On the night of 7–8 May 2025, Pakistan attempted to target multiple military installations in northern and western India, including Awantipora, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai and Bhuj, using drones and missiles.

According to the Indian Ministry of Defence, these threats were effectively neutralised by the Integrated Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) grid and air-defence systems, with the Indian Air Force’s S-400 Sudarshan Chakra air-defence missile systems playing a key role in intercepting the incoming targets.

Indian forces retaliated by targeting air-defence radars and installations across multiple locations in Pakistan, including a system near Lahore.

Debris from the neutralised drones and missiles is being recovered from various locations, serving as evidence of Pakistan’s attacks. Multiple domain experts, as reported by ANI, confirmed that the targets were successfully neutralised during the operation.

Meanwhile, Pakistan intensified mortar and heavy-artillery fire across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, targeting areas such as Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri.

The shelling resulted in the deaths of at least 15 civilians, including four children, and injured 43 others, with significant damage to homes and infrastructure in Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla and Kupwara. India stated that its forces responded in a calibrated manner, destroying several Pakistani posts, and reaffirmed its commitment to non-escalation, contingent on Pakistan ceasing its attacks.

Operation Sindoor

In response to the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of 7 May 2025, targeting nine terrorist-infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). The Ministry of Defence stated that the operation struck locations used for planning and directing terrorist attacks against India, emphasising that the strikes were “focused, measured and non-escalatory,” with no Pakistani military facilities targeted.

The operation hit terror hubs in Muridke, Kotli, Muzaffarabad and Bahawalpur, among others, linked to groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). According to Pakistani authorities, the strikes resulted in at least eight deaths and over 35 injuries, though casualty figures vary, with some reports citing up to 31 deaths, including civilians. India reported that over 70 terrorists were killed, significantly degrading the operational capabilities of these groups.

The operation, involving precision missile strikes and drone attacks, was a retaliatory response to the Pahalgam massacre, with India asserting its right to counter terrorism while maintaining restraint to avoid broader escalation.