New Delhi: The Operation Sindoor that was carried out recently has been instrumental in showcasing the power of Agniveer jawans, who were recruited under the Agnipath scheme. Around 3,000 Agniveers were trained and skillfully used to give more sting to this operation. They served as gunners, fire control operators, radio operators, and crew members of heavily armed vehicles equipped with guns and missiles.
In response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, India launched the Operation Sindoor to dismantle the terror infrastructure within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The soldiers who were trained under the Agnipath scheme are 20-year olds. During the operation, they assisted in the handling of key weapons and systems in the air defence units.
Despite Pakistan’s drone and missile attacks on Indian military bases, airports and cities, the Agniveers displayed remarkable courage and steely grit. They thwarted these assaults and defended the country with their bravery. They went through training in extreme conditions that equipped them with the assured set of skills.
The Agniveers were instrumental in countering the Pakistani attacks on India. According to sources, this was the first time that the jawans were made to deal with a real combat. This stands as a rebuttal to the current debate that is raging regarding the Agnipath scheme and its effectiveness.
The air defence systems had 150-200 Agniveers each, who were skillfully trained and mastered the individual skillset that was prescribed and was essential for a full fledged and escalated combat. They helped in shooting down the Pakistani missiles and drones.
How new innovation was inculcated
The Agniveer jawans also helped in the operation of Akashteer, command centre for India’s air development system. Akashteer is an AI enabled data fusion system which transmits data from the ground radars of different systems, creates a real time image of the battle field, identifies the type of threat and autonomously assigns mission to different air defence systems such as Akash, MRSAM, S400 and auto guns.
These jawans further, actively participated in launching shoulder-fired missiles, operating anti-aircraft guns like L-70 and ZU-23-2B, and managing systems such as Pechora, Shilka, OSA-AK, Strela, and Tunguska.
India’s strong response to combat terrorism
India has been taking bold and calculated stand to combat terrorism in the subcontinent and on a global scale. It has also encouraged the global actors to make informed decisions about terrorism that has been on the rise over the past decades and the way India wishes to resolve it.
After the Pahalgam attack, India responded swiftly with urgency and force. It launched Operation Sindoor to give a befitting reply to the terrorists and their supporters.
