MoD Annual Report Says IAF S-400 Destroyed Aircraft at 314 km

The Ministry of Defence's Annual Report 2025-26 says the Indian Air Force (IAF) engaged and destroyed a Pakistani special-mission aircraft at a range of 314 km during Operation Sindoor. The engagement, which the ministry described as one of the longest-range surface-to-air strikes in India's history, was executed by an S-400 air-defence unit. The report highlights this event as a demonstration of India's ability to neutralize threats at extreme distances, effectively challenging the adversary's reliance on range for protection.

Operation Sindoor was launched in May 2025 as a retaliatory campaign following the Pahalgam terror attack. The four-day operation, which ran from May 7 to May 10, 2025, involved precision strikes against terror infrastructure and military assets across Pakistan. The Defence Ministry's report details that the IAF targeted critical infrastructure, including runways at Sargodha and Rahim Yar Khan, as well as the cooling plant at Jacobabad. Additionally, command and control centers at Chaklala, which serves as the headquarters for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Air Defence Command, and Murid were successfully destroyed.

During the campaign, the IAF also targeted four hangars housing fighter aircraft, AEW&C systems, and UCAVs at Jacobabad. The strikes resulted in the destruction or damage of multiple F-16 aircraft and Akinci and TB-2 class UCAVs, alongside reported fatalities among PAF personnel. Six radars and two surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW) locations were also neutralized using a combination of air-launched munitions and unmanned loiter munitions.

To manage the airspace during the conflict, India utilized the Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), which synthesized data from military and civilian radars to maintain a common air picture. The Defence Ministry emphasized that India maintained strict protocols to distinguish between military and civilian traffic, noting that Pakistan kept its civilian airspace open throughout the hostilities. IAF network systems and trained operators were tasked with ensuring that commercial flights remained safe while military operations were conducted.

In response to the Indian strikes, Pakistan launched retaliatory drone and UAV attacks against military installations in Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir. The IAF countered these threats by deploying a layered air-defence grid, which integrated the indigenous Akash missile system with Pechora and OSA-AK platforms. The S-400 system, which tracked the Pakistani special-mission aircraft in silence before guiding a long-range missile to the target, remains a cornerstone of India's border security, with three squadrons currently deployed across various fronts.