Air Marshal reveals Pakistan used spies, sleeper cells to locate S-400 during Operation Sindoor, was 'desperate'

Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra revealed that during Operation Sindoor, Pakistan resorted to deploying spies and activating sleeper cells within India to locate the S-400 missile systems. He described their actions as desperate, emphasizing that the S-400 was perceived as a significant threat by Pakistan.²

“The Pakistanis were desperate to find the S-400s during and employed all tricks in the book,” Mishra stated in an ANIpodcast interview. He elaborated that the S-400 was the biggest threat to Pakistan, prompting them to utilize various intelligence tactics, including the deployment of spies.

Mishra also suggested that Pakistan likely received satellite assistance from other countries to enhance their intelligence-gathering efforts. He criticized Pakistan for targeting the Adampur airbase without a solid plan, based on the assumption that the S-400 could be stationed there.

The airbase was among several IAF bases, including Pathankot, Bathinda, and Udhampur, targeted by Pakistan on the night of May 9 and 10. The S-400 played a crucial role in intercepting missiles from Pakistan during the operation. As of March, India is set to receive a fifth S-400 system in November, with plans to acquire five more, capable of destroying aerial targets up to 400 kilometers east of the Indus River in Pakistan.