New Delhi:
Pakistan closed his airspace today for all air traffic, hours after India accused the use of commercial flights as shields in the midst of drone attacks. The decision, registered by a notification to Airmen (Notam), came in the midst of elevated tensions between the two nuclear armed neighbors.
The move follows a night of intense drone activity along the northern and western boundaries of India, after Pakistan had launched a coordinated wave of drone attacks aimed at military infrastructure over 26 locations, ranging from Leh in the north to Sir Creek in the south. Several of the intended locations include important airports, forward military bases and civil aviation facilities. India has successfully divested every attack.
India accused Pakistan of jeopardizing international air traffic by keeping its airspace open while performing drone and rocket operations.
“Pakistan uses civil aircraft as a shield, knowing completely well that the attack on India would generate a quick response to air defense. This is not safe for the unsuspecting civil aircraft, including the international flights that flew near the international border between India and Pakistan,” Colonel Sofiya Qureshi said yesterday. Vikram Miskri.
Flighttradar24 data did not show planes in Pakistani airspace while submitting this report.
Pakistan deployed between 300 and 400 drones on the night of 8-9 May, for the time being identified as Turkish-made Asisguard Songar models. Many were intercepted with the help of a combination of kinetic and electronic warfield systems, including the Barak-8 and S-400 Triumph Missile Defense Platforms, Akash Sam's and native anti-drone technologies.
“The huge scale suggests that it was a deliberate military attempt to test our willingness. We responded proportionally,” said Wing Commander Singh during the briefing.
Among the targeted locations were Srinagar Airport, the Awantipora Airbase, Nagrota, Jammu, Patakot, Fazilka and Jaisalmer.
In Ferozpur, a drone attack in a civil area injured three members of a local family. No Indian military installations have been damaged.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Friday evening a high -level meeting together with Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh, national security adviser Ajit Doval and the service providers. Earlier in the day, PM Modi also met former leaders of the armed forces to give their opinion about the developing crisis.
Minister of the Interior Amit Shah assessed the civil preparedness in states along the border with Pakistan, in particular around airports and high -quality goals.
