Newly declassified information regarding Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force's (IAF) retaliatory strikes in May 2025, has highlighted the critical role of the Dassault Rafale's electronic warfare (EW) capabilities.
According to reports from post-operation analysis, a Rafale fighter successfully used its Spectra EW suite to protect an IAF Su-30MKI strike aircraft from a potential beyond-visual-range missile attack by Pakistani F-16s.
Operation Sindoor was launched against Pakistani terror infrastructure in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
During the operation, IAF formations involving Rafale, Su-30MKI, and Mirage 2000 aircraft conducted precision strikes against nine reported terrorist infrastructure targets, including camps near Bahawalpur and Muzaffarabad.
In response to the IAF mission, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) scrambled F-16 fighters from Sargodha and Mushaf airbases to intercept the Indian aircraft.
During one documented engagement over the Line of Control (LoC) on May 7, a pair of PAF F-16s, using their APG-68(V)9 fire-control radars, successfully achieved a missile lock on a low-flying IAF Su-30MKI.
The F-16s were reportedly preparing to launch AIM-120C AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) at ranges of 80-100 km.
The targeted Su-30MKI, which was armed with Rampage stand-off missiles for its own ground-attack mission, was moments away from being in critical danger.
At this point, an escorting Rafale aircraft providing air cover initiated a defensive action.
The Rafale employed its integrated Spectra EW suite. This advanced system, jointly developed by Thales and MBDA, is designed to detect, identify, and neutralize multiple threats simultaneously.
Using a combination of digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) jammers and decoy dispensers, the Spectra suite reportedly overwhelmed the F-16s' radars with "adaptive noise" and false targets.
This electronic attack successfully broke the radar lock on the Su-30MKI in approximately 12 seconds.
The AMRAAM missile, which uses its own active radar seeker in the final phase of an attack, was unable to maintain its targeting solution. This forced the PAF pilots to abandon their intercept and evade any potential counter-attack from the Rafale.
The IAF strike package then proceeded to its objective and completed its mission without any losses.
Anonymous IAF sources praised the system's integration, noting that it dominated the electronic spectrum, allowing the strike aircraft the time needed to execute their mission.
