Ghost jets, real missiles: How India used 'dummy aircraft' to cripple Pakistan’s air defence systems

In a textbook display of military deception and tactical brilliance, the Indian Armed Forces – in in their retaliatory action against Pakistan on the intervening night of May 9 and 10 – penetrated and dismantled a major part of Pakistan’s air defence infrastructure. A critical element of this mission was India’s innovative use of dummy aircraft designed to mimic real fighter jets, confusing Pakistani radars and air defence systems into exposing their positions.

Following Operation Sindoor – India’s precision strikes which destroyed several terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7 – Pakistani forces launched a swarm of drones and missiles in the next two days, in their failed attempt to target Indian defence sites in Jammu, Pathankot and several other cities.

In retaliation, the Indian forces launched another series of precision strikes, this time targeting Pakistan’s key defence establishments and its air defence system.

The strikes involved air and missile strikes using a combination of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Scalp air-to-ground missiles, Rampage standoff missiles, and Crystal Maze glide bombs.

But before that, the IAF deployed UAVs that replicated the radar signature of Indian fighter jets. These decoy drones were launched in waves toward key Pakistani airbases and sensitive military installations.

Pakistani radar systems mistook these UAVs for incoming fighters, prompting them to activate their air defence systems, and eventually reveal radar positions. Once these positions were confirmed, Indian forces unleashed a second wave of precision-guided munitions—this time with real firepower.

With Pakistan’s radars exposed, the IAF launched air and missile strikes, hitting nearly a dozen Pakistani airbases, including ones in Sargodha, Murid, and Chaklala.

Air traffic control towers, radar domes, communication hubs and runways were among the key assets destroyed in Indian strikes.

One of the most significant losses Pakistan suffered was the destruction of an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. Retired Pakistani Air Marshal Masood Akhtar later confirmed on Pakistani media that an AWACS was lost in the strikes.

The use of dummy jets not only helped degrade Pakistan’s radar and missile shield but also sowed confusion among their military planners. Pakistani fighters scrambled in several directions in response to ghost targets, while the real Indian strike teams hit their intended objectives with pinpoint accuracy.