India used UAS Grid System to foil Pak's attack on military targets: Know about this efficient defence system in India's arsenal

India's Defence Ministry said that Pakistan's attempts for an aerial attack on India's military targets were neutralised by deploying the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) Grid System refers to the Digital Sky Platform's airspace map created by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). This system governs where drones can operate across Indian airspace using a color-coded airspace map that divides the country into zones.

India's UAS grid divides airspace into three major zones:

1. Green Zone:No prior approval needed to fly drones (up to certain altitudes, usually 120 meters AGL).

2. Yellow Zone: Controlled airspace. Requires Air Traffic Control (ATC) or Digital Sky permission to fly.

3.Red Zone: No drone operations allowed without special permission from DGCA/MoD/MHA. Includes sensitive areas like military installations, borders, and strategic zones.

The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 at 1.05am to 1.30 am. Briefing the country on Operation Sindoor, women officers Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri informed that India exercised its right to respond and hit nine terror targets, including terror camps and launchpads, in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). They said that India's actions were measured and non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible.

The Indian Defence Ministry in a press release said on May 8 that India is committed to non-escalation but won't shy away from providing a suitable response to Pakistan. As per the press release, on the night of 07-08 May 2025, "Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in northern and western India." Using drones and missiles, Pakistani forces targeted several civilian areas in the region, including the cities of Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj and India responded.

A terror attack on April 22 in Baisaran Valley of Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam district killed 26 tourists. An offshoot of the banned Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) - The Resistance Front (TRF) - claimed responsibility for the attack.

After the attack, India launched a series of actions against Pakistan. The Indian government put into abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, expelled its diplomats, called back Indian officials from Islamabad, and closed the Attari border, its airspace for Pakistani flights and ships, parcels and imports from Pakistan. New Delhi has also blocked the Instagram accounts of several Pakistani cricketers and celebrities.