India's Operation Sindoor brought success for the nation not just on the battlefield, while also proving its technological superiority against Chinese weaponry used by Pakistan, says John Spencer, one of the leading defence experts in the world. He stressed that, along with sending a strategic message, Operation Sindoor also revealed a tactical truth: India’s domestically produced weapons worked, and China's did not.
In an article written on X, Spencer suggested that while India defeated Pakistan on the battlefield, it also exposed Chinese weaponry, winning the technology referendum.
India used sovereign arsenal: Spencer
In response to Pakistan's aggression, Spencer adds India used "sovereign arsenal built under the twin doctrines of Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat".
John Spencer writes, "Operation Sindoor pitted India’s indigenously developed weapons systems against Chinese-supplied platforms fielded by Pakistan. And India didn’t just win on the battlefield—it won the technology referendum. What unfolded was not just retaliation but the strategic debut of a sovereign arsenal built under the twin doctrines of Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat."
He hailed India's increasing self-reliance in defence, saying, "It has led to a major leap in indigenous production—from 32% of the Army’s ammunition needs met domestically in 2014 to 88% in 2024."
Expert hails Indian weaponry
"From missiles like BrahMos and Pinaka to radars and artillery systems, Indian-made equipment proved itself in live combat. That’s not just a national achievement—it’s a model of military readiness for any nation facing modern threats," he added.
The defence expert exposed Pakistan's over-reliance on Chinese weapons, saying that Islamabad "continues to rely heavily on Chinese-made systems like the HQ-9/P, LY-80, and FM-90—systems that repeatedly fail to stop or detect precision strikes. In a real fight, performance matters more than procurement deals."
Operation Sindoor
India launched Operation Sindoor in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed 26 innocent lives. The Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The major action took place between the two sides on the intervening night of May 9th-10th and continued till the afternoon of May 10th, wherein air bases along the length and breadth of Pakistan were targeted by India.
After India had attacked terror bases in Pakistan on the night of May 6th-7th, including the terror hubs in Bahawalpur and Muridke in Pakistani Punjab, the Pakistani side retaliated by firing missiles at military targets in India, which failed to leave a mark due to a strong multi-tier air defence system.
IAF destroyed Pakistan's military assets
The Indian Air Force on May 9th went into aggressive mode by destroying the command and control (C2) centres of the Pakistan Air Force at the Chaklala, Sargodha and Murid air bases.
The Pakistani airbase in Bholari was targeted at a hangar which housed a Saab 200 AEW&C airborne radar and surveillance aircraft along with at least 3-4 Western-origin fighter aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force.
The attacks against the Pakistani Air Force have taken them at least five years back and caused great damage to them and their Chinese and Turkish inventory of weapons, which could not stand even against vintage Pechora and OSA-AK Russian-origin air defence systems.
(With agency inputs)