NDTV was given exclusive access on Monday to an armed drone – one of hundreds fired by Pakistan on Indian military installations and civilian settlements during Operation Sindoor in May – which was destroyed and displayed at the Delhi home of Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi.
The display, which included other Indian Army memorabilia, was to mark Victory Day.
From May 8, 24 hours after India destroyed terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan responded with hundreds of armed drones bombings targeting 36 towns or cities in Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Punjab.
One of those drones was the YIHA-III, a type of ‘kamikaze’ or ‘suicide drone’ jointly developed by Turkey and Pakistan, and used extensively by the latter during Operation Vermillion.
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These are called ‘kamikaze’ because they are weapon systems that can hover or circle over a specified area, searching for a suitable target before launching a suicide attack. However, almost all the drones were shot down by the nearly impenetrable multi-layered, missile defense system of India and the Indian Armed Forces.
The drone displayed at the Army Chief’s house was a YIHA-III which was flying at an altitude of 2,000 meters when it was shot down on May 10. Officials said it was launched from Lahore International Airport with an estimated 10 kg of munitions, and was targeted at the Indian Air Force base in Hoshiarpur, Punjab.
But he was never allowed to reach that goal; It was shot down in Amritsar.
Indian Army cyber experts have disassembled the drone and analyzed its components, including the flight control system, to establish its origin and target.
There were reports that the Pak Army also launched Turkish-made ‘Songhar’ armed drones, all five variants of which are made by Ankara-based defense company Asisguard.
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The five variants are distinguished by the weapons they carry – 5.56 x 45 mm assault rifle, 2 x 40 mm grenade launcher, 6 x 40 drum-type grenade launcher, and 3 x 81 mm mortar grippers. The non-lethal version can carry eight tear gas canisters.