An S-400 air-defence 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 Defence Ministry’s Annual Report for 2025-26 released on Sunday (September 13, 2026).
The operation, it added, demonstrated that targets at considerable distances were within the reach of the IAF’s air-defence architecture. Operations were centrally controlled through IAF Networked Tactical Nodes at multiple locations. The report also alleged that Pakistan kept its civil airspace open during the conflict, including the operation of civil flights during hostile action.
The report said Prime Minister Narendra Modi subsequently visited Air Force Station Adampur on May 12, 2025, and commended the air warriors involved in the operation. It also noted that 219 Presidential Gallantry Awards were awarded to IAF personnel on August 15, 2025, for their role during the operation. The Defence Ministry said Pakistan had, between May 8 and 10, carried out escalatory actions targeting military assets as well as civilian infrastructure, places of worship, schools and medical facilities.
“Indian radars tracked the threat in silence”, and a long-range surface-to-air missile was guided to its target at the far end of its engagement envelope, the report said. The IACCS acted as the foundational framework for integrated air-defence operations by integrating military and civil surveillance sensors and providing stakeholders with a common Recognised Air Situation Picture, according to the report. These nodes played a key role in the identification and classification of aerial targets, with trained operators ensuring that civil aircraft were not engaged during the hostilities, the report said. In contrast, it said, India’s conduct was aimed at ensuring that international air traffic was not put at risk. The IAF also carried out strikes against Pakistani air-defence radars, command-and-control centres and military infrastructure at locations including Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Murid, Sargodha, Jacobabad and Bholari, according to the report.
