New Delhi: Pakistan has been going around with a satellite images from March this year to showcase the so-called ‘damage’ it caused to the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Adampur in Punjab during Operation Sindoor that took place on May 7-10.
Shehbaz Sharif and his publicity team were left red in the face yet again after geo-intelligence expert Damien Symon fact-checked the images that claimed to show a severely damaged IAF Su-30 MKI aircraft and clarified that it was actually a Mig-29 undergoing maintenance in March.
The dark patch that Pakistan tried to pass off as indication of damage to the aircraft, is nothing but soot near the engine test pad that is routine during such maintenance, Symon has said.
Pakistan has been fuming after 11 of its air bases were hit by Indian missiles during Operation Sindoor. It has been making a concerted effort to spread misinformation regarding strikes on Indian military infrastructure ever since.
Air Force Station Adampur is of particular interest to Pakistan for several reasons. This base – India’s second largest – is barely 100 km from the International Border, played a key role during the 1965 War. It is now home to Mig-29 and Su-30 MKI squadrons and also has advanced radars and surveillance systems. Most importantly, the first S-400 missile defence battery was set up at Adampur in 2022.
This missile defence battery, part of India’s Sudarshan Chakra air defence system, intercepted Pakistani missiles aimed at Indian targets during Operation Sindoor.
Earlier, Pakistan claimed that its missiles from a Chinese-made JF-17 fighter jet destroyed the Russian-made S-400 air defence system at Adampur.
This claim was debunked when Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Adampur on May 13, barely three days after the conflict ended, waving at the jawans, with an MiG-29 jet and a very much intact S-400 system visible in the background.
While at Adampur, PM Modi sent a strong message to Pakistan, asserting that India had just paused its offensive on terror camps and its military sites.
