S-400 destroys Pakistani aircraft at 314 km during Operation Sindoor: Ministry of Defense report

A file photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing soldiers during his visit to the Adampur Air Base in Jalandhar. The annual reports of the Ministry of Defense 2025-26 said that Prime Minister Modi visited Air Force Station Adampur and praised the air fighters involved in the operation. | Photo credit: ANI

An S-400 air defense unit of the Indian Air Force destroyed a Pakistani special mission aircraft at a distance of 314 km during Operation Sindoor, marking one of the longest surface-to-air engagements claimed by India, according to the Defense Ministry’s 2025-26 annual report released on Sunday (September 13, 2026).

The report described the engagement as a demonstration of the IAF’s long-range air defense capability, saying it challenged the adversary’s belief that distance could provide protection against Indian air defense systems.

“Indian radars tracked the threat in silence” and the long-range surface-to-air missile was guided to the target at the far end of its envelope, the report said. The operation, it added, proved that targets at considerable distances were within range of the IAF’s air defense architecture.

The report said Prime Minister Narendra Modi subsequently visited Air Force Station Adampur on 12 May 2025 and praised the air warriors involved in the operation. He also noted that on 15 August 2025, 219 Presidential Gallantry Awards were conferred on IAF personnel for their role during the operation.

The engagement was part of a wider integrated air defense effort during the four-day conflict from 7 to 10 May 2025. The IAF, which is responsible for the country’s air defence, exercised centralized command and coordination through its indigenous Air Force Integrated Command and Control System (IACCS).

According to the report, the IACCS functioned as the basic framework for integrated air defense operations by integrating military and civilian surveillance sensors and providing stakeholders with a common picture of the recognized air situation.

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Operations were centrally controlled through IAF network tactical nodes at various locations. These nodes played a key role in identifying and classifying aerial targets, with trained operators ensuring civilian aircraft were not engaged during hostilities, the report said.

The report also claimed that Pakistan kept its civilian airspace open during the conflict, including the operation of civilian flights during hostilities. In contrast, she said, India’s actions were aimed at ensuring that international air traffic was not jeopardized.

According to the report, the IAF also carried out strikes against Pakistan’s air defense radars, command and control centers and military infrastructure at locations such as Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Murid, Sargodha, Jacobabad and Bholari.

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The Ministry of Defense said that between May 8 and 10, Pakistan carried out escalating actions targeting military assets as well as civilian infrastructure, places of worship, schools and medical facilities.

India’s response, the report said, remained “calibrated but punitive,” with the goal of “demonstrative competence” through precise military action to compel the adversary to halt further escalation.

After the precision strikes, Pakistan called for a halt to the fighting, he said.

Published – 13 Sep 2026 22:42 IST