New Delhi: During Operation Sindoor, India was confronted with three adversaries on a single border, according to a senior Army officer. Pakistan was the direct aggressor, while China and Turkey actively supported it, with Beijing even providing Islamabad with “live” satellite data on Indian military movements, the officer revealed on Friday.
“We had one border, but three adversaries—Pakistan was in the front, and China was providing all possible support,” said Lt Gen Rahul R. Singh, the Army’s Deputy Chief of Capability Development and Sustenance, speaking at a seminar on ‘New Age Military Technologies’ organized by Ficci. “This isn’t surprising, as 81% of Pakistan’s military hardware comes from China. China follows the old tactic of ‘killing with a borrowed knife’—using its neighbor to inflict pain rather than directly engaging on the northern border,” he added.
The deep military collaboration between Pakistan and China was further evident during the cross-border hostilities from May 7 to 10. Pakistan used a range of Chinese weaponry and sensor-shooter systems, including J-10 fighters firing PL-15 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles and HQ-9 air defense missile systems, as.
Lt Gen Singh pointed out that the conflict provided China an opportunity to test its weapons against those used by India. “It became like a live lab for them. We need to be very aware of that,” he said, underlining the strategic importance of India being prepared for such scenarios.
Lt Gen Singh also highlighted Turkey’s significant role, particularly in providing military technology to Pakistan. “Turkey also played an important role, providing support in the form of weaponry,” he said, pointing out that Pakistan had extensively used Turkish-origin Byker Yiha III kamikaze drones and Asisguard Songar drones during the conflict.
Among the crucial lessons drawn from Operation Sindoor, Lt Gen Singh emphasized the need for an effective C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) system, a more robust air defense network, and enhanced civil-military coordination.
These remarks came in contrast to those made by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan on May 31 in Singapore, where he downplayed China’s involvement in the conflict. Gen Chauhan had stated that while Pakistan may have used Chinese commercial satellite imagery, there was “no proof of real-time targeting support” from Beijing.
Referring to China’s extensive satellite network, Lt Gen Singh noted, “When the DGMO-level talks were happening, Pakistan was mentioning details like, ‘We know your vector is primed and ready for action, and we request you to pull it back.’ This shows they were receiving live inputs from China.”
He also added that while Indian population centers were not at risk during the operation, future conflicts might require India to be better prepared in this regard. “In the next round, we’ll have to be ready for that,” he concluded.
