Pakistan Launches Massive Drone Offensive; India Neutralizes Threats Across Northern States

New Delhi, May 9, 2025 – In a significant and provocative escalation, Pakistan launched between 300 and 400 drones late Thursday night, targeting Indian military installations across multiple states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. According to the Indian Army, all drones were either intercepted or neutralized, with no strategic damage reported.

Indian Army spokesperson Colonel Sofiya Qureshi briefed the media on Friday evening, confirming that the aerial intrusion spanned at least 36 towns and cities. Notably, drones were detected as far apart as the Siachen Glacier base camp in Ladakh and the Kutch region in Gujarat – a distance of over 1,400 kilometers – highlighting the scale and planning behind the offensive.

Out of the 300–400 drones launched, approximately 50 were shot down by India’s air defence guns, and another 20 were jammed mid-flight using electronic countermeasures. While many of the drones were unarmed, several were equipped with surveillance cameras and appeared to be transmitting live footage to ground stations inside Pakistan. Officials believe this may have been a large-scale reconnaissance mission masked as a direct threat.

Military sources have identified the drones as Turkish-made Asiguard SONGAR models, which are capable of both surveillance and combat tasks and have an operational range of 5 kilometers. Though most drones did not carry explosives, the Indian Army has classified the operation as a blatant ceasefire violation and a potential prelude to further aggression.
In parallel, Pakistan engaged in artillery shelling along the Line of Control (LoC), killing 16 Indians, including one army personnel and a senior official in Rajouri district. This shelling followed India’s Operation Sindoor – a preemptive and surgical strike conducted earlier this week targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. According to Indian officials, no Pakistani military installations were targeted during that mission.

In response to the drone offensive, India deployed multiple layers of its integrated air defence system, including the indigenous Akash missile system, which played a key role in repelling the second wave of drone and missile strikes. Government sources claimed that the Akash system performed with high accuracy and reliability, mirroring the effectiveness of Israel’s Iron Dome.

Following the attacks, several pieces of drone and missile debris were recovered in areas such as Amritsar in Punjab. These remains are now being analyzed for intelligence purposes and to establish concrete links between Pakistan’s military and ongoing terror activities.

“India is not only capable of defending its airspace, but we now assert complete control over it,” a senior defence source stated. Officials also confirmed that several Pakistani air defence networks were taken offline in retaliatory cyber and precision strike operations.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has, as a precaution, ordered the temporary suspension of civilian flights at 32 airports until May 15, citing heightened national security concerns.

With tensions escalating and both sides on high alert, the Indian government is reportedly holding high-level consultations with defence and diplomatic counterparts, while also briefing international allies on the nature of Pakistan’s provocations.