Operation Sindoor: How 88 hours of conflict reshaped India air defences

FOr 88 hours during functioning Sindoor, west pakistan launched undulation after undulation of drones and loitering munitions targeting airports and airfields crosswise India—from Srinagar and Jammu to Amritsar and Bhuj. Not a single runway, hangar or airport building was hit. Pakistan targeted airports and airfields after Indian forces bombed nine terror camps and hubs, killing at least 100 terrorists. Over the course of the 88 hours, as India responded to Pakistan, it struck 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations.Senior government officials say the brief but intense conflict offered security forces a glimpse into the future of warfare — airports and airbases could become frontline targets in wars fought increasingly through drones and aerial strikes. Over those four days, the government temporarily closed 32 airports to civilian air traffic at the peak of the fighting.Also Read | Four Days in May: How Operation Sindoor EvolvedSince the May 2025 conflict, government agencies in India have spent the past year quietly overhauling airport security and air-defence preparedness, installing anti-drone systems at all vulnerable airports, constructing specialised bunkers near airports and creating synergy between India’s military and paramilitary forces to train security personnel for a new kind of warfare.“When fighting started Pakistan sent armed drones aimed at different airports starting from Srinagar and Jammu. The CISF, Army and NSG teams shot down those drones. Though border areas in Jammu and Kashmir have civilian bunkers, we did not have bunkers near the airports before. When drones started hovering around the airports, the forces built makeshift bunkers at these vulnerable airports to protect civilians as well as other people on the airport premises. In the last year, such bunkers have been constructed in large numbers at specific locations for safety during war or aerial threats,” one security forces officer said, asking not to be named.Also Read | No terror sanctuary safe: Army warns Pakistan on Op Sindoor anniversaryWhile there were reports India may have lost a few aircraft during the fighting — something senior military officials have not publicly denied — no Indian airport or airbase suffered damage during the conflict. Over the past year, the government has also released evidence of munitions intercepted near Srinagar and Jammu airports and photographs of undamaged airbases that Pakistan claimed to have struck. In June 2025, barely two months after Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army organised specialised commando training in the hills of Jammu and Kashmir for personnel serving in CISF’s Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs). CISF guards at least 71 airports and airfields across the country. Officials familiar with the matter said the Union home ministry pushed for greater operational synergy between the army and the paramilitary force to ensure airports were protected by personnel trained by the Indian Army for modern combat scenarios.“The first batch of 55 personnel was trained in the valley (Srinagar). Since then, nearly 490 QRT commandos have undergone training that is at par with NSG standards. It was the first time CISF commandos were trained in large numbers by the Army. The QRT commandos were trained to deal with terror attacks and neutralise hostile drones using guns or jammers. Today, every airport has an anti-drone mechanism at its disposal, whether from the army, NSG or any other central armed police force (CAPF),” the official cited above said, adding that CISF has also tweaked its rules and SOPs (standard operating procedures) for QRTs at airports.A CISF official who asked not to be named said that after Operation Sindoor, the force reduced the cap on the age of commandos to 35 from the earlier one of 45. And sought to make them more battle ready. “There have been small but important changes, such as the age limit. It is now mandatory for every QRT commando to take the Battle Physical Efficiency Test (BPET) set by NSG every month. The test was previously done only once a year. These QRT commandos must clear the night firing test, which too was not required before. They must all be certified in anti-drone warfare. Any person you see in a QRT at the airport is a commando trained by the best in the country,” the official said, adding that the home ministry is working to bring all sensitive airports under CISF cover within the next few years. Currently 36 sensitive airports are still under the cover of state police and not the certified federal agency. One such vulnerable airport in Aizawl, Mizoram, near the Indo-Myanmar border was assigned CISF cover in December last year. Darbanga, in Bihar near the Indo-Nepal border will also get protection from CISF starting this week.Earlier this year, CISF also operationalised its drone training and anti-drone capability centre in Behror after receiving approval from the Home Ministry. Officials said 4,493 anti-drone operators have already been certified through the institute.“Post Operation Sindoor, the home ministry wants anti-drone cover for each vulnerable sector, not just airports, so nodal agencies have been appointed for each sector. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security will install the latest system at the airports; Border Security Force is responsible for border areas; and the CISF is handling vital installations. Each committee has already submitted qualitative requirements and trial directives for the next generation of anti-drone systems to be deployed across these sectors,” a second security forces official said.On May 7, 2025—hours after India launched Operation Sindoor—the Union home ministry carried out a massive mock drill across 244 vulnerable districts to test civilian preparedness against aerial attacks. Sirens mounted atop government buildings in cities and several northern and western border districts were activated to assess their effectiveness. Many of these warning systems, originally installed during earlier decades of military tension, had not been used in years. Since that morning, the drills have been happening regularly to prepare civilians in case of another war. As part of a broader preparedness exercise, upgraded hooters and warning systems have since been installed in several government buildings and strategic locations.Similar systems have also quietly been installed at civilian airports — but it serves a very different purpose there.“In the last year, hooters have been installed at several civilian airports (non-military ones). We did not have them before,” the second officer added, asking not to be named. “It is better that the siren never sounds because if it does, it means an enemy drone is in the air; we are under attack and the forces must bring it down.”