Operation Sindoor: How India striked terror camps with HAMMER and SCALP missiles in precision assault

In a significant military operation, India launched Operation Sindoor early on Wednesday morning, targeting terrorist infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation, which involved a tri-services deployment of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, was a response to the Pahalgam terror attack that took place on April 22. The attack resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians, including a serving Indian Navy officer and a Nepali national, and was attributed to Pakistan-based terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

The Indian forces conducted a series of precision strikes on nine separate sites, four in mainland Pakistan and five in PoK. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that no Pakistani military installations were targeted during the operation. The nine sites were identified based on verified intelligence and were linked to the operational hubs of the banned terrorist groups responsible for orchestrating attacks within India. Among the key targets were Jaish-e-Mohammed’s base in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s training facility in Muridke, both notorious for hosting senior terror group leaders and training cadres.

India employed several advanced precision weapons during the operation, including the SCALP cruise missile, the HAMMER precision-guided bomb, and loitering munitions. The SCALP missile, also known as Storm Shadow, is a long-range, air-launched cruise missile with a range of over 250 kilometers, designed to strike fixed high-value targets deep inside enemy territory. It was primarily used to target strategic, heavily fortified locations. The HAMMER bomb, a highly agile, modular munition, is versatile enough to strike both stationary and mobile targets at medium-range distances. It was used to hit sites that required high precision and flexibility in targeting.

Loitering munitions, often referred to as "kamikaze drones," played a crucial role in the operation by providing surveillance and carrying out terminal strikes on selected targets. These drones, which can operate autonomously or under remote human control, loiter over areas of interest to identify and eliminate threats. During Operation Sindoor, the loitering munitions helped neutralize dynamic, mobile assets linked to the terror groups operating in the region.

The nine targeted sites included significant terrorist hubs, such as Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, which served as the ideological and operational headquarters of JeM. Other targets included LeT’s logistical and indoctrination center at Markaz Taiba in Muridke, as well as various camps used for suicide bomber training and weapons distribution, such as Markaz Abbas in Kotli and camps in Muzaffarabad and Sialkot. These camps were believed to have been instrumental in the planning and execution of attacks on Indian soil. The Ministry of Defence emphasized that the operation was "focused, measured, and non-escalatory," with a clear objective of dismantling terrorist infrastructure without escalating tensions with Pakistan’s military forces.

Operation Sindoor is the latest in a series of cross-border military actions undertaken by India to combat terrorism emanating from across its borders. This operation was described as one of India’s most expansive precision strikes since the Balakot airstrike in 2019. The success of this operation demonstrates the capability of India’s armed forces to carry out deep, surgical strikes against terrorist infrastructure, using state-of-the-art technology and real-time intelligence to minimize collateral damage.