Recent claims by a decorated Indian Air Force (IAF) operator shed light on how India's electronic warfare tactics may have outmanoeuvred some of the most advanced air-to-air missiles during Operation Sindoor.
Sergeant Bhale Singh, an IAF Gallantry Award recipient who served as the launcher in-charge for an S-400 air defence battery during the conflict, recently spoke about the operation on the Bharat Tak YouTube channel.
According to Singh, several Chinese-origin PL-15 beyond-visual-range missiles recovered on Indian soil had actually been tricked by Indian electronic countermeasures.
Singh stated that instead of hitting their intended targets, the PL-15s were diverted to chase false signals, or "ghost targets".
The missiles relentlessly pursued these non-existent targets until they ran out of fuel and kinetic energy, eventually dropping harmlessly into Indian territory.
The PL-15 is widely regarded as one of China’s most sophisticated long-range active radar-guided missiles.
It boasts an active radar seeker, a two-way datalink, and long-range propulsion meant to strike fighter jets and high-value airborne targets from a considerable distance.
Similar to other modern radar-guided weapons, the PL-15 uses internal navigation, updates from the launching jet, and its own radar to zero in on its target during the final stages of its flight.
Electronic warfare plays a crucial role in disrupting this exact process.
By employing advanced countermeasures, modern defence systems can deny accurate targeting data, reduce the effectiveness of the missile's seeker, or create deceptive radar signatures.
These "ghost targets" trick the missile's seeker into locking onto an artificial track rather than the real aircraft. If the missile continues to chase this phantom track without correcting its course, it will eventually drain its energy and fail its mission.
According to Singh’s firsthand account, this is precisely what happened to the PL-15s recovered in India. The missiles continued tracking false targets until they were completely out of fuel.
If these claims are accurate, they indicate that India effectively deployed sophisticated electronic warfare tactics capable of neutralizing advanced active radar-guided missiles during the conflict.
It is important to note that these claims remain unverified by independent sources, and the IAF has not officially confirmed that electronic warfare diverted the recovered PL-15 missiles. There are also no official technical reports detailing exactly why these specific missiles fell within Indian borders.
However, Sergeant Singh's remarks offer a compelling perspective, as they come from an active-duty operator who was recognised with a gallantry award for his actions during Operation Sindoor.
Open source reports also indicate that the operation saw the S-400 system achieve the longest recorded surface-to-air kill in history, taking down a Pakistani airborne early warning aircraft at roughly 300 kilometres.
His interview provides a rare, inside look into how Indian personnel leveraged electronic warfare against advanced threats, showcasing the often unseen but critical battles fought in the electromagnetic spectrum.
