India on Friday accused Pakistan of launching one of the most extensive cross-border aerial offensives in recent memory, using hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles to target Indian military infrastructure along the entire western frontier.

The Indian government said it had responded with measured force and operational precision.

According to details shared during the official briefing, Indian armed forces detected between 300 and 400 drones attempting infiltration across 36 locations, from the heights of Leh to the marshes of Sir Creek, on the night of May 8.

The scale of the operation and the diversity of the terrain suggest a coordinated and premeditated move aimed at overwhelming Indian defences or probing their readiness.

In response, India carried out armed drone strikes on four Pakistani air defence sites, successfully neutralising at least one radar installation. The government described the action as calibrated, designed to deliver a strong tactical message without escalating the situation into a broader conflict.

While some Indian army personnel were injured in the exchange, Pakistani forces were said to have suffered significant damage in the retaliatory strikes.

Pakistan’s offensive also included heavy-calibre artillery shelling across the Line of Control, compounding the threat posed by the UAV swarm.

Military briefers emphasised that India’s air defence units engaged the incoming drones using both kinetic fire and electronic warfare systems. A large number of the UAVs were intercepted before they could reach strategic targets.

Forensic analysis of the downed drones has begun, with early indications pointing to Turkish-origin Asisguard Songar models—rotary-wing drones capable of carrying light munitions.

Civilian Shield 
Indian officials also flagged what they called a serious violation of international aviation norms.

Despite launching missile and drone strikes, Pakistan kept its civilian airspace open during the attack window. By contrast, India had declared an airspace closure over Punjab and other impacted zones to prevent any inadvertent harm to civil aviation.

Flight-tracking data presented during the briefing showed continued airliner movement between Karachi and Lahore even as Indian air defences were on high alert.

Officials said the Pakistani strategy of using commercial air corridors in proximity to military operations amounted to a deliberate gamble that risked the lives of civilian passengers and complicated India’s response calculus.

The drone incursion follows close on the heels of India’s Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan following the April 22 massacre of tourists in Pahalgam.

While that strike was designed to be limited and non-escalatory, the events of May 7–8 have reintroduced volatility along the border.

Analysts note that while neither side has crossed the land boundary, the introduction of UAV swarms, cross-border shelling, and contested airspace raises the stakes significantly.

For now, the government has avoided signalling further escalation.

But today’s briefing left no doubt that the cross-border playbook is being rewritten—quietly, dangerously, and in real time.