Pakistan activated spies, sleeper cells to hunt for India’s S-400 in Operation Sindoor: Former Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra

Former Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra, in an interview with ANI, claimed that Pakistan turned to spy sleeper cells and spies within Indian territory to spot the location of India's S-400 air defence systems during the May 2025 hostilities between the two nations. He claimed that because of the critical role of the S-400, Pakistani jets could not come within 200 metres of the Indian border.

“Pakistanis were desperate to find where these S-400s were. They used every available means. They were also getting satellite help from other nations. Every time they (Pakistan) got airborne, they were shot by an S-400. The S-400 was the biggest threat as far as they were concerned. They also activated spies and sleeper cells within India to find out where the S-400s were located," said Retired Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra. He served as the Chief of the Western Air Command during Operation Sindoor.

The Russian-designed S-400 is considered one of the world's most advanced long range surface to missile systems. It is considered among the most powerful air defence platforms in the world. It is designed to detect, track and engage a range of aerial threats, including fighter aircraft, surveillance platforms, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. In 2018, India signed a $5.43 billion agreement with Russia for five S-400 systems. Renamed the “Sudarshan Chakra”, three systems have already been delivered and integrated into the IAF. A fourth squadron was delivered in June 2026. It proved highly effective in Operation Sindoor, despite Western analysts downplaying the system's capability.

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Mishra also added that the Adampur Air Force Station came under attack because Pakistan believed that it was associated with the deployment of S-400 systems.

Mishra also highlighted the success of the BrahMos missile. “In our self-reliance push, BrahMos is a major push. The most successful indigenous missile. After Op Sindoor, a lot of other nations were trying to buy it," he said.

it turned into a game-changing offensive weapon during Operation Sindoor and dismantled traditional assumptions regarding the penetrative power of modern supersonic cruise missiles against densely layered, Chinese-supplied air defence systems.

“It goes up to 14-15 km up, accelerates to supersonic speed; it is difficult to intercept it. When it is coming down, it accelerates to Mach 3 speed, impossible to intercept," Mishra said.