Washington, May 6 India's Operation Sindoor, launched after the heinous terror attack that took place in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 last year and witnessed Pakistan-backed terrorists gunning down 26 innocent tourists after identifying their religion, set in motion a sequence in which the Pakistan Air Force was increasingly outmatched. This included the establishment of air superiority over key sectors of Pakistani airspace and precision strikes across operational depth, a report said on Wednesday.
Writing for American online platform 'Substack', John Spencer, the Executive Director at the US-based Urban Warfare Institute, notes that even a year after the opening strikes of Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, the narrative of downed Indian aircraft and early Pakistani achievements continues to circulate. He added that in India–Pakistan clashes, the narrative has often followed a predictable pattern, with Pakistan rapidly shaping the information space through exaggerated or unverified claims across international media.
“The 88-hour air campaign from May 7 to 10, 2025, initially appeared to fit that pattern. Early reporting focused heavily on claims of Indian aircraft losses, and much of the Western coverage framed the Pakistan Air Force as having achieved a disproportionate success. That narrative did not withstand scrutiny,” the expert stated.
Citing a report released on January 15 by the Centre d’Histoire et de Prospective Militaires in Switzerland, Spencer said that the analysis reconstructs the conflict based on operational data rather than early narratives.
"Authored by military historian Adrien Fontanellaz and reviewed by a panel led by retired Swiss Air Force Major General Claude Meier, the study tracks the sequence of events across the four days of fighting. It shows that early aircraft losses, which dominated international coverage, were only one part of a larger campaign that unfolded very differently over time and ended with the Pakistan Air Force outmatched, India establishing air superiority over significant portions of Pakistani airspace, and conducting precision strikes across the depth of Pakistan,” he detailed.
Spencer emphasised that in retaliation for the April 22 terrorist attacks in Pahalgam, India struck nine terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7. Although Pakistan responded quickly, he said, the Indian Air Force had established air superiority over key sectors of Pakistani airspace, and the Pakistan Air Force became increasingly unsustainable after the opening night.
“That outcome was not the result of a single strike or isolated engagement. It emerged from a deliberate suppression and destruction of enemy air defences campaign conducted over multiple days that degraded Pakistan’s ability to see, coordinate, and respond,” he stated.
According to the expert, the analysis delivers India external validation, something its government rarely emphasises publicly - indicating that the objectives of Operation Sindoor were not only achieved but likely exceeded expectations.
“Whether India should have extended the campaign beyond 88 hours remains open for debate. Why Pakistan sought a ceasefire is clear. It did so after losing the ability to continue the fight on terms that could change the outcome,” Spencer stressed.
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