Has India-Pakistan Drone War Started? Here Are The Details Of The Drones Deployed
HAROP drones, a loitering munition, were reportedly used by Indian armed forces to carry out precision strikes on air defence systems in Pakistan
In a dramatic escalation late Thursday evening, Pakistan attempted to attack 15 cities in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan. However, the 50 drones launched by Pakistan were neutralised by the Indian Army’s Air Defence units late Thursday.
In a comprehensive counter-drone operation, the Army Air Defence units deployed advanced weaponry including L-70 guns, Zu-23mm, Schilka systems, and specialised counter-UAS equipment across multiple sectors including Udhampur, Samba, Jammu, Akhnoor, Nagrota and Pathankot.
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The armed forces used the S-400 Sudarshan Chakra defence missile system to take down Pakistani drones and missiles fired towards the 15 Indian cities.
Let us look at the drones used by the two countries.
Drones Used By India
HARPY: The drones are designed to target enemy air defence systems in Pakistan. They are optimised for the suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) role. It carries a high-explosive warhead. Equipped with an Anti-Radiation (AR) seeker, HARPY can autonomously seek and strike emitting, high-value targets. It operates in deep strike missions lasting up to 9 hours, day and night, in all weather conditions, and in Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)-denied or contested battlefields. It is equipped to hunt, seek targets in a designated area, locate and identify their frequency, and autonomously pursue a strike from any direction, at shallow or steep dive profiles.
HAROP: The Ministry of Defence in a statement had said that the 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 same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised." It is understood that the latest Israeli HAROPs, a type of unmanned combat aerial vehicle, were used. HAROP is an attack drone developed by the MBT Missiles Division of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). It is a loitering munition designed to hover over a battlefield and strike on command. The drone is capable of autonomous operation or remote control and can return to base if a target is not engaged. HAROP can search for targets over a span of nine hours. It flies within a set area, detects and identifies targets, plots an approach, and executes a strike from different angles. It does not require advance intelligence to carry out the operation. The drone also has resistance to GNSS jamming, which allows it to maintain communications in hostile environments. HAROP drones are launched from outside the battlefield and can fly up to 200 kilometres. As loitering munitions, they hover above hostile zones, wait for a target, and then dive into it.
Heron: India inducted the Heron Mark-2 drones in 2023, with which it has significantly expanded its high-altitude surveillance and strike capability. The drones are capable of monitoring both China and Pakistan frontiers in a single sortie. An upgrade to the long-serving Heron Mark-1, the Mark-2 features a 3,000-km range and 24-hour endurance. It is outfitted with synthetic aperture radar, EO/IR cameras, and a laser designator—allowing for around-the-clock reconnaissance and precision target marking.
Drones Used By Pakistan
The Indian Army successfully shot down 50 swarm drones deployed by Pakistan to breach the LoC and International borders on Thursday evening.
Swarm Drones: SWARM stands for “Smart War-Fighting Array of Reconfigured Modules." A Swarm drone typically consists of multiple drones working in coordination, communicating with one another, and sharing information to achieve a common objective. These drones can range from small quadcopters to larger fixed-wing drones. The swarm’s strength lies in its ability to function as a collective unit, leveraging swarm intelligence algorithms and advanced software to operate seamlessly and efficiently. These drones are equipped with AI and can communicate with each other as well as with the control station.
Which India Cities Did Pakistan Target?
Pakistan attempted to engage military targets in 15 cities –Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj. However, the planned attacks were averted by the Indian Army.
The attack comes after India launched missile strikes on May 7 against nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, marking the latest phase of Operation Sindoor.
The strikes targeted key terrorist strongholds, including Jaish-e-Mohammad’s Bahawalpur base and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Muridke facility, and were a direct response to the killing of 26 civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
In retaliation, the Indian Armed Forces on May 8 struck Pakistani Air Defence Radars and systems. India stressed that its response mirrored the scale and intensity of the Pakistani strikes but remained within the bounds of proportionality.
The statement further said Pakistan had intensified its unprovoked artillery fire across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. Mortars and heavy-calibre artillery were fired in the Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar, and Rajouri sectors.
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