EXPLAINED: How is Operation Sindoor different from Uri surgical strike and Balakot air attack? Technology, Targets, Impact...

How is 'Operation Sindoor' different from the 'Uri' surgical and 'Balakot' air attacks? Though all three attacks were retaliatory actions taken by India against terrorism, they differ in scope, execution, technology, targets, and geopolitical impact. India attacked nine terrorist hideouts, including the Jaish-e-Muhammad headquarters at Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. While a Pakistani Army post was attacked in Uri surgical attack, a terrorist camp situated in Balakot was targeted in 2019. 

Triggering events

The Indian Army carried out a surgical attack after Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists stormed a brigade headquarters in Uri on September 8, 2016. It was one of the deadliest terror attacks, in which 19 soldiers were killed and 19–30 others were injured. Indian Air Force bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammad hideout in Balakot, situated in the Manshera district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, in retaliation to the Pulwama terrorist attack on February 14, 2019. In the terrorist attack, 40 soldiers of the CRPF were killed. Operation Sindoor was in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 26 civilians were killed. The Resistance Front claimed its responsibility. 

(Uri surgical strike) 

How were attacks carried out?

While small teams of commandos conducted raids, destroyed terror launchpads, and killed about 35–40 terrorists in the Uri surgical attack, 12 Mirage 2000 jets flew to Balakot and bombed terror hideouts with  SPICE 2000 and Popeye precision-guided munitions in the Balakot attack. Though India claimed to have killed a “large number” of terrorists, Pakistan and some Western sources disputed the claim. India attacked nine terrorist infrastructure sites, including camps and the JeM headquarters, in Operation Sindoor. The affected areas were Bahawalpur, Muridke, and Sialkot in Punjab and Muzaffarabad and Kotli in PoK.

Weapons

Different weapons were used in these attacks. The commandos used small arms, grenades, and incendiary devices in the Uri surgical attack. It was mainly stealth and close-quarters combat. It was a purely ground attack with minimal use of advanced tech, GPS and intelligence. No air or naval involvement was in place. In the Balakot attack, India used SPICE 2000 and Popeye precision-guided munitions, Mirage 2000, Sukhoi Su 30MKI were used to drop the bomb. Netra, Phalcon airborne early warning systems, IAI Heron UAVs, and Ilyushin Il-78 refuelers assisted in the attack. India used SCALP (Storm Shadow) cruise missiles, HAMMER precision-guided munitions, and loitering munitions, or the drones that hover to locate and strike targets, in 'Operation Sindoor'.

(Pakistan Army troops inspecting impact of Balakot attack by Indian Air Force)

Impact

Operation Sindoor and Uri surgical attack lack independent verification, and Balakot’s impact is contested. Similarly, the long-term impact on the fight against terrorism will remain limited. Like earlier attacks, Operation Sindoor's long-term effectiveness in curbing terrorism is uncertain. Its scale has heightened escalation risks. Operation Sindoor has underscored India’s shift toward technology-driven, high-impact warfare.