Post Balakot Airstrike’s report praises the use of Spice 2000, rates the pilots top class

Post Balakot Airstrike’s report praises the use of Spice 2000, rates the pilots top class

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Tuesday, May 28, 2019, 11:54 PM IST
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In this photo taken on February 16, 2019, an Indian Air Force (IAF) Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft drops bombs during the 'Vayu Shakti 2019' fire power demonstration at the IAF's firing range field in Pokhran in the state of Rajasthan. - An Indian air strike across the Kashmir ceasefire line early February 26 "completely destroyed" a militant camp, a junior minister said. (Photo by Prakash SINGH / AFP) |

According to a report which traces the Balakot airstrikes that took place on February 26, the strategic planning was complete and total despite the fact that Pakistan was on a high alert. The report is a detailed assessment of the positives and negatives of the Balakot Airstrike and it will be used as a reference to the future operations.

As the report speaks in detail of the operation, the first officer has mentioned five to six designated targets were hit and the official has acknowledged the number of targets too. The assessment of the report has revealed several positives because every battle plan does not survive the first contact of the enemy. The plan had deviations too and some negatives.

Positives as per the report:

Pakistan released jets from eight fighter bases as soon as the weapons package was delivered by the IAF’s Mirage-2000. These include airforce bases such as the Mushaf in Sargodha, Rafiqui in Shorkot, Minhas in Kamra Attock and Murid in Chakwal. A senior officer in the condition of anonymity told HT that, “But the distance between PAF and IAF fighters was at least 10 minutes. Pakistan was expecting a response, but from the PAF response it appears it did not expect us to take the aerial route,” he added.

The report also lists the skills and proficiency of pilots who flew the mission and describes them to be, “top class.” As per the tradition of the IAF, the Commanding Officers (CO) of the respective squadrons flew the mission. The report also states that 6,000 men and officers of IAF were involved in the mission and that there were no leakages.

As per the report, the Chief of Air Staff BS Dhanoa and its top echelon of IAF had normal duties such as conference, banquets, addressing defence Attache’s, Combat Air Patrols along with border areas before the strike shook Pakistan.

The accuracy of the weapon was praised in the report. IAF used Spice 2000 precision guided munitions (PGM) to hit targets among the others. “Five of the six designated targets” inside JeM (Jaish-e-Mohammed) a training camp in Balakot were hit straight, the assessment report concluded.

Negatives as per the report:

Clouds and weather conditions created problems for the aircraft. The entire weapons package, except for the Spice 2000carried by the IAF was not delivered. This lead to questions about the weapon’s matching targets. Changes had to be made in the software in order to integrate new weapon systems but the vintage Mirage aircraft didn’t completely work.

The politico-strategic domain, as in, when the IAF was planning the attack, it gave priority to eliminate the maximum number of terrorists at JeM facility. Another anonymous senior officer told HT that, “The Balakot experience underlines integration of new weapons with platforms should be done by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) despite the cost involved.”

It also states that the mission chose Spice 2000, a penetration smart bomb instead of a fragmentation weapon. This bomb flattens and demolished structures, unlike the fragmentation weapon. Speaking on technology, former Air Vice Marshal Suil Jayant Nanodkar told the HT that, “Technological asymmetry will always give you an edge over the enemy. However, if the OEM [original equipment manufacturer, or the supplier] is the same on either, it could create difficulties.”

“We achieved complete surprise and the mission was successful. It highlights the need to give forces the freedom to execute a political decision. The execution of a political decision should be at choosing the forces,” he added. The report was discussed at a high-level IAF meeting, recently.

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