How did Turkey's Ukrainian war hero drones, fail against India? India's desi defence system exposes flaws

Turkish drones, recently deployed by Pakistan during a limited conflict with India, failed to provide the tactical advantage Islamabad had hoped for. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which first drew global attention when Ukraine used them against Russian defence systems in the early phase of the Russia-Ukraine war, struggled under India’s robust air defence network, a TOI report stated.

The manufacturer of these drones claim that they can operate for 27 hours. These drones were very effective till Russia beefed up its air defences since then Ukraine has since shifted their use to reconnaissance and artillery coordination. India appears to have taken a lesson from that, successfully intercepting and neutralizing both Turkish drones and Chinese missiles midair during Operation Sindoor.

Significantly, many of the Turkish drones—reportedly less advanced than those supplied to Ukraine—were taken out by domestically produced and cheaper Indian drones, dealing a blow to Turkey's ambitions under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan, who has sought to position Turkey as a leading power in the Muslim world, has touted drone technology as a symbol of national strength.


In a sign of Ankara's apparent frustration, only a junior-level official represented Turkey at the Indian Ministry of Defence’s briefing on Operation Sindoor.

Meanwhile, India’s use of Israeli-made Harop drones, also known as loitering munitions, proved highly effective. These drones, which identify and crash into targets with explosive payloads, are believed to have destroyed several of Pakistan’s air defence systems and critical military infrastructure during the May 7–10 hostilities.

With inputs from ToI