PART-2
As there was no target available there, Captain Abbas, 8th cavalry, Pakistan army moved his Al-Khalid tank towards south-east direction. After covering some 400 meters he spotted some movement about 1 km away. He zoomed his camera towards that location and now he could see it clearly. The last Arjun tank of Indian army’s highly decorated armoured regiment, Poona horse, was moving towards the north direction. A Sabot round was loaded into the 125 mm main gun of the Al-Khalid tank, target was aimed & gun was fired. It hit straight to the target and the Arjun tank was destroyed. Now the wreckage of 28 Arjun tanks were lying there. All were destroyed by the Pakistan’s 8th cavalry.
“Ok it was the last Arjun tank which was defending the Jammu city. Now we will march towards Jammu and after capturing it, the entire Kashmir would be cut-off from the rest of India” Captain Abbas thought.
The dream of Pakistan, to defeat India and capture the Kashmir was going to become true. Soon 15 Al-Khalid tanks arrived there and as they were about to march towards the Jammu, his PA arrived and said “Sir, everyone is waiting for you in the war room.”
Prime Minister Mohammad Gul closed the book ‘When India surrenderd to Pakistan’ which he was reading and went towards the war room. When he entered the room, the chief of Pakistan air force Air Chief Marshal Rashid Sultan was arguing with General Waheed.
“We should not attack India” ACM Sultan said.
“Be practical General. During the Kargil war, India’s defence budget was 5 times greater than our defence budget. During 2008 Mumbai attack their defence budget was 6 times of ours. Despite they were having more money the major part of their budget was used to pay salaries and pensions. At that time they were not having advance weapons in large quantity. But in the last decade their economy has grown at the rate of 9.5% per annum and our economy, just like in the decade of 2000-10, has grown at the rate of 4.3% per annum. Now there defence budget is almost 10 times of ours and in the last decade they have purchased modern weapons in huge quantity. We would face shameful consequences if we attack them.” he said. But the arrogant General had already decided his offensive plan. No one could change his decision now. It is said that every nation has an army but in Pakistan, army has a nation. The Army General here is the real head of the state and in crisis like situation, civilian government has a limited role to play. Therefore Prime Minister Gul was sitting quietly as he knew that his country is not in his control any more. Apart from the Army Generals who are fundamentalists, Pakistani air force is believed to be of liberal view. Several air force chiefs were against the terror exporting policy of Pakistan. Therefore during the Kargil war, the then air force chief Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi discarded the request of General Musharraf to send fighter aircrafts to intercept Indian air force planes which were bombing the peaks in Kargil sector. But now, General Waheed was in control and the Air force has to obey his order. But ACM Sultan was right ‘PAF cannot face IAF’.
[In the year 2010 when PAF was operating in its full sanctioned strength of 450 fighter aircrafts in 24 squadrons, IAF was way short from the sanctioned strength of 45 squadrons. IAF was operating only 600 fighters, most of them outdated, in 32 squadrons. But in year 2020 the things were completely different. IAF was having 42 squadrons (almost 775 fighters) against the 24 squadrons of PAF. Apart from the quantitative advantage, IAF was having qualitative advantage as well because most of its fighters were very advance.
Pakistani Air Force in 2020 -
Name Quantity Origin Main weapon
F-16 75 USA 105 km range Amraam c-5 BVR air to air missile
J-10 125 China 105 km range SD-10 BVR air to air missile
JF-17 250 China 105 km range SD-10 BVR air to air missile
Total 450 (BVR= Beyond Visual Range)
Indian Air Force in 2020-
Name Quantity Origin Main weapon
Sukhoi-30 MKI 270 Russia 160 km range R-77M BVR air to air missile
EF Typhoon 126 Europe 160 km range Meteor BVR air to air missile
The rest of IAF fighters were Tejas, Mig-29, Mirage-2000 and Jaguar.
As per Operation Cloud Burst, India had decided to field only Sukhoi-30 MKI and Euro Fighter Typhoon against 450 fighters of PAF because these 396 fighters were more than a match for the PAF]
As per General Waheed’s plan, PAF was to first strike the refineries in the Jamnagar by J-10 fighters and later was to launch 10 Babur land attack cruise missiles against Maharajpura airforce base, Gwalior. Orders were issued and preparations were on in the PAF airbase Karachi.
1 x PHALCON AWACS
GULF OF KACHCHH
7th JUNE
12:41 HRS
The Phalcon AWACS (Airborne early Warning And Control System) was patrolling at an altitude of 15000 feet since 05:00 am. Its task was to search and track the Pakistani fighter jets. There were 3 Phalcon AWACS patrolling along the Indo- Pak border, first over Gujarat, second over Bikaner in Rajasthan, third over Udhampur in J&K. The whole border was under their scanner.
[All the fighter aircrafts have radar with them but because of their small size the range of those radars is very limited. Morden fighter radars have range between 100 to 250 km. Therefore large transport aircrafts are usually modified and fitted with massive size radars in order to search aircrafts flying deep inside enemy territory. The range of Israeli Phalcon AWACS is 400 km. It means it can track all aircrafts flying within 400 km radius.]
Air Commodore Dutt was sitting on his chair and was holding a cup of coffee. As he was the commanding officer of Phalcon AWACS, he was responsible for the operations in Gujarat sector. In front of him was a large screen, showing activities within 400 km range of all directions. He could see movements of passenger flights from Ahmedabad & Vadodara airport. Also, the cargo ships moving in the Arabian Sea were visible on the radar screen. But he was interested in the areas of north & west directions. The entire Sindh province of Pakistan was in the range of the Phalcon AWACS. Movements in all five Pakistani air force bases in Sindh- Karachi, Masrur, Nawab shah, Mirpur khas and Sukkur were visible.
“4 fighter size aircrafts have just taken off from Karachi airbase” a radar operator said.
“Confirm their type”
“J-10”
“Alpha formation Scramble-Scramble-Scramble” Air Comm. Dutt screamed on his radio set.
The order of scramble was for four Euro Fighter Typhoons which were lined up on the runway of Bhuj airforce base. Pilots were inside the cockpit from last several hours and were ready to tackle any emergency situation. Within 1 minute of the Scramble order, all four Typhoons were airborne and they started super-cruising towards the west direction.
“Alpha lead this is Phalcon one. Four J-10. Twenty km south east of Karachi. Take them out.”
“Copy that. Alpha 3 & 4 cover the Phalcon one. Alpha 2 follow me”
Both the Typhoon formation & J-10 formation were still 300 km away from each other but J-10s had no idea that Typhoons were approaching towards them. The small and less advance Chinese KLJ-10 radar onboard the J-10 had range of only 100 km. J-10s couldn’t see activities beyond 100 km. On the other hand Typhoons were getting real time data from Phalcon AWACS through a secure data link and the powerful radar of Typhoon, the CAESAR radar, itself had range of 250 km. It was only after 300 seconds, the J-10 came to know about the presence of EF Typhoons.
[Although the range of Typhoon’s main weapon, the Meteor air to air missile, is 160 km but if it is fired from that distance, the target can easily evade the missile by moving few kms behind, making a distance of more than 160 km . In order to make a confirm kill, air to air missiles are launched when the target enters their ‘No Escape Zone’ (also called as ‘Kill Envelop’). If the target is inside the no escape zone and missile is fired, then the target can’t out run the missile. The no escape zone of an air to air missile is about 40% of its maximum range. So the NEZ of Meteor was 64 km and of SD-10 was 42 km.]
“Alpha 2 take out the left flank” said Alpha leader while locking four Meteors against two J-10s of the right flank. Now the distance was just 60 km between both the formations.
“Fire” he said.
Eight Meteors started racing towards Four J-10s, two missiles per target in order to ensure 100% kill. J-10’s missile approaching system (which is an infrared detector which tracks large infrared signatures of a fast incoming missile) started giving warnings about the Meteors. J-10s also launched four SD-10 air to air missiles but the Typhoons were still out of their no escape zone. Both the Typhoons turned 180 degree and moved away with high speed, J-10 also turned back towards the Karachi but it was too late. In the last moment J-10s tried to out maneuver the Meteor missiles by taking steep dive towards the ground but the highly agile missiles were quick to respond. As the Meteors exploded the J-10s were decimated and the debris fall all over the Sir Creek area. Two pilots were dead and two managed to eject on time. Within an hour they were caught by the BSF.
MAHARAJPURA AIRFORCE BASE
GWALIOR
7th JUNE 2020
14:18 HRS
“Spyder squadron this is Eagle Eye four .10 Babur cruise missiles are approaching. Intercept them “said Aerostat radar incharge from Rajasthan.
“Eagle Eye four this Spyder Squadron. We are ready to welcome the Babur with fireworks” said Flt. Lt. Mehta who was incharge of the Spyder short range SAM (Surface to Air Missile) system. Maximum range of this system is 15 km. It can intercept aircrafts, helicopters, UAVs and sub-sonic cruise missiles. Babur is a low-tech and slow moving cruise missile with maximum speed of 0.8 Mach. Any morden SAM system can destroy it easily, once it is located. As the Babur missiles came within the radius of 15 km, five Python & five Derby missiles were fired by the Spyder squadron. All Babur missiles were intercepted and their debris fall over the agriculture fields. This attack was also foiled by the IAF.
PMO
NEW DELHI
7th JUNE 2020
17:35 HRS
Operation Cloud Burst was an operation, having a mix of offensive-defensive strategy. At first India was to act in a defensive manner and monitor the level of aggression from Pakistan and then to go on full offensive and destroy several Pakistani strategic assets in a short, but fierce and brutal, offensive operation. The level of damage which would be caused in that swift strike will make Pakistan frightened because Pakistan would think that if India could do this much damage in just a strike, what would happen if it strikes with full power. Then Pakistan would be compelled to shred its terror exporting policy.
PM Singh had received several phone calls since morning from the presidents of USA, Russia, China, France and many other countries. All had requested him to resolve the issue with Pakistan peacefully. UN Secretary General had also appealed to both the countries to maintain peace in South Asia. Therefore PM Singh decided to call his Pakistani counterpart PM Gul.
Using the hotline, India contacted Pakistani govt. but they said, it would be General Waheed who would talk and not PM Gul.
First to speak was PM Singh,
“Good evening General, hope you have enjoyed your day.”
“Mr. Singh, you have not done a good thing by attacking ISI headquarter.”
“Since you had targeted Srinagar bus stand, counter attack from us was inevitable. Anyway, now I would appeal to you that you must stop sponsoring terrorism and accept Kashmir as India’s integral part.”
“Why would we accept Kashmir as India’s integral part? You have forcefully occupied it.”
“No we haven’t. Ruler of Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh had merged the Kashmir with India by signing the Instrument of Accession. Entire Kashmir is ours therefore it is you who should end the illegal occupation of Pak occupied Kashmir and give it back to India.”
“That instrument of accession is useless because in 1948, UN passed a resolution called ‘Resolution 47’ asking for a referendum in Kashmir. People of the Kashmir had to choose between India and Pakistan as per that resolution. You have still not conducted the referendum in Kashmir.”
“UN had to intervene after Pakistan had attacked the Kashmir & tried to illegally occupy it. In your attack, thousands of kashmiries, who were resisting your invasion, were killed. The entire mess was created by you. As far as UN is concerned, it has no right to order referendum in any part of India and because Pakistan has already given up its claim over Kashmir, the UN resolution itself has became void.”
“My country has never given up its claim on Kashmir.”
“Yes ‘your country’ wants to grab the Kashmir but not the Pakistan.”
“What do you mean?”
“Till 1971, the national assembly of Pakistan had 313 seats. East Pakistan had 169 seats and West Pakistan had 144 seats. Population of East Pakistan was more than the West Pakistan. So the Bangladesh, former East Pakistan, is the true inheritor of per-1971 Pakistani state. The UN resolution of 1948 talks about a different Pakistan, that doesn’t exists anymore and if it does, then Bangladesh is the successor state. Not the name should determine the successor state of Pakistan but rather the determination of the representatives through the democratic means. And since Sheik Mujibur Rehman, the former PM of Bangladesh had declared Kashmir as India’s part, your country has no say over the Kashmir.”
“What?”
“Yes and if you stop your mischief from now onward, I would assume that you have shredded your terror policy and accepted the facts. Good Bye.” PM Singh ended the call.
General Waheed can’t believe what he just heard. As the time was passing he was getting more and more furious. “Slay the Pagans.” he roared.
Within hours, swarms of PAF fighter jets & Babur missiles were launched to destroy various Indian airbases. Ariel warfare had started in all sectors right from J&K to Gujarat. But PAF was no match to the IAF. Till midnight 32 PAF fighter jets and 55 Babur missiles were shotdown by the IAF and there was no casualty on Indian side.
After loss of 4+32 fighters along with several pilots, Pakistan wanted to take the revenge. They changed their strategy and deployed ballistic missiles, which most of the Indian surface to air missiles can’t intercept. The target was also changed and now their target was Delhi-Mumbai Industrial corridor which India had developed in the last decade with the investment of hundreds of billions of dollars. Dozens of Pakistani Gauri and Shaheen missiles were ready to destroy that industrial corridor.
End of part 2 of 5.
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