SkyStriker kamikaze drones, co-developed with Adani Group's Aplha Design Technologies, were employed in Operation Sindoor, codename for military strikes against Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
The coordinates for the attacks, aimed at destroying terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, were provided by intelligence agencies, and the strikes were carried out entirely from Indian soil, said Indian officials.
The SkyStriker flies like an unmanned aircraft system and strikes like a missile. It is classified as a loitering munition, a type of precision weapon that hovers over a target area to locate and strike targets, often autonomously or under human control, before being expended.
It has a low acoustic signature, enabling stealthy, low-altitude missions. Powered by electric propulsion, it can identify, track and engage operator-designated targets using a 5 or 10 kg warhead housed within its fuselage.
These kamikaze drones were produced at a manufacturing facility in western Bengaluru through a collaborative partnership between Alpha Design, based in Bengaluru, and Elbit Security Systems of Israel.
The already fraught ties between India and Pakistan took a big hit when terrorists opened fire at a famed meadow near Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam town, dubbed "mini Switzerland", on April 22 and killed 26 people. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, a charge denied by Islamabad.
Operation Sindoor, India's counterstrike, began on May 7 and hit 9 terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The targets belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen, said the government, adding that the focus was on decimating terrorist infrastructure and not Pakistani civilians or military installations.
What followed was a wave of Pakistani attacks using drones and other munitions, which India said was "repulsed" by its forces, who gave a "befitting reply" to Islamabad's aggression.
Indian air strikes against the terror establishments in Pakistan were a 'hell on fire' and signalled a new normal regarding India's approach to counter-terrorism, sources said.
"Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted," said India.
Source: NDTV