Air Marshal (Rtd) Masood Akhtar confirmed that one of Pakistan’s SAAB 2000 Erieye AEW&C aircraft was damaged when India launched a series of BrahMos cruise missiles against Bholari Airbase, located near the port city of Karachi, on the night of 9–10 May.
(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — In a significant revelation that underscores the shifting balance in South Asia’s contested airspace, a former top official of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has openly acknowledged the loss of a critical airborne early warning platform during an Indian missile strike under the ambit of Operation Sindoor.
Air Marshal (Rtd) Masood Akhtar confirmed that one of Pakistan’s SAAB 2000 Erieye AEW&C aircraft was damaged when India launched a series of BrahMos cruise missiles against Bholari Airbase, located near the port city of Karachi, on the night of 9–10 May.
The BrahMos, a supersonic cruise missile developed jointly by India and Russia, has been at the core of New Delhi’s long-range precision-strike doctrine, capable of penetrating enemy defences at blistering speeds exceeding Mach 2.8.
In an exclusive interview with journalist Sohrab Barkat, shared via the defence-focused platform Frontalforce on social media outlet X, the retired air marshal offered a rare insider account of the high-stakes encounter.
“They (Indian forces) fired four back-to-back BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles… surface-to-surface or air-to-surface, I am not sure. The (Pakistani) pilots rushed to secure their aircraft, but the missiles kept on coming,” he recounted.
“Unfortunately, the fourth one hit the hangar at Bholari (airbase), where one of our AWACS was standing. It was damaged and casualties were also reported…” said the former senior PAF officer.
The Indian military subsequently released satellite imagery purporting to show missile strike damage at the Bholari facility, with one hangar visibly impacted—lending visual credibility to India’s claims of a successful precision engagement.
Further corroboration came from The New York Times, which published satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies, highlighting structural damage at several key Pakistani military installations as a result of the Indian strikes.
“An examination of satellite imagery indicates that while the attacks were widespread, the damage was far more contained than claimed — and mostly inflicted by India on Pakistani facilities,” the report stated.
A parallel analysis by The Washington Post reported visible destruction at no fewer than six Pakistani airbases, citing extensive runway, hangar, and command center damage—some targets located as deep as 160 kilometers inside Pakistani territory.
Among the sites targeted were PAF installations at Noor Khan (Rawalpindi), Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan, and Bholari, all of which host critical air assets forming the backbone of Pakistan’s air defence architecture.
Of these, Bholari Airbase holds unique strategic relevance due to its proximity to India and the Arabian Sea, making it a launchpad for both defensive and offensive aerial operations in Pakistan’s southern theatre.
It is home to several high-value aerial platforms, including the SAAB 2000 Erieye AEW&C, a linchpin of Pakistan’s airborne surveillance and battle management capability, offering real-time threat detection, long-range target tracking, and aerial coordination.
Saab 2000 Erieye
The base also hosts JF-17 Thunder multirole combat aircraft, notably the Block II and Block III variants, equipped with AESA radar and PL-15 Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles, granting them formidable air-to-air lethality in regional skies.
Periodic sorties by F-16 Fighting Falcons, acquired from the United States, also originate from Bholari depending on the tactical and operational demands of PAF’s southern command.
Beyond operations, Bholari serves as a training and testing hub for fighter pilots, electronic warfare simulations, and live missile trials—highlighting its importance in Pakistan’s aerial warfighting ecosystem.
At present, the Pakistan Air Force operates a fleet of nine SAAB 2000 Erieye AEW&C aircraft, forming the sensor backbone of its airpower network and allowing for early detection of threats across vast airspace swathes.
The Erieye fleet was commissioned alongside the J-10C multirole fighters and C-130 transport aircraft during an official induction ceremony in July last year, signalling Pakistan’s push for sensor-fusion capabilities.
Originally ordered in 2006, the fleet faced setbacks when three aircraft were damaged in a terrorist assault on Minhas Airbase in 2012, with one unit declared a total loss due to catastrophic fire damage.
Pakistan’s J-10C
Two Erieyes were later restored and reinducted into service in 2015 and 2016, reflecting the platform’s enduring value in strategic surveillance and network-centric warfare.
The Erieye’s radar system, built on AESA technology, offers a detection range of up to 450 kilometers, capable of identifying aerial targets with precision and relaying data to fighters via encrypted data-links for coordinated engagements.
In comparative terms, Pakistan’s airborne surveillance capability outpaces India’s numerically, with the Indian Air Force operating only three IL-76 Phalcon AWACS, integrated with Israeli radar systems, and two indigenous NETRA AEW&C aircraft.
This imbalance has translated into tactical advantages for Pakistan during previous air skirmishes, as acknowledged by Indian defence media reporting the force-multiplying effect of PAF’s Erieye platforms on battlefield awareness.
Recent engagements demonstrated this edge when PAF’s J-10C fighters, armed with PL-15 BVR missiles, executed a stealth ambush on multiple Indian aircraft—including the reported downing of three Indian Rafale fighters—without emitting detectable radar or radio signals.
These operations were orchestrated under a full “radar and radio silence” doctrine, made possible by encrypted, real-time targeting updates from airborne command assets like the SAAB 2000 Erieye and Chinese-built ZDK-03 Karakoram Eagle.
“BrahMos”BrahMos
This approach ensured that PAF’s fighters remained electronically invisible until weapon release, preserving operational secrecy and maximising the lethality of long-range missile engagements.
In such a tactic, the fighters approach under total electromagnetic silence, while midcourse guidance is managed by AEW&C platforms, and in the final 20–30 kilometers, the PL-15E’s X-band active radar seeker engages the target with high kill probability.
The strategic loss of an AWACS platform at Bholari—now openly confirmed—represents a significant blow to PAF’s ability to sustain persistent aerial surveillance across the southern sector.
It also reflects the growing potency of precision-guided, deep-strike capabilities in modern warfare—especially in regions like South Asia, where airborne sensors, stand-off weapons, and electronic warfare now define the future of deterrence and dominance.
In the emerging Indo-Pakistani airpower equation, Operation Sindoor may mark not just a tactical victory for New Delhi, but a pivotal moment in redefining the air superiority dynamics of the subcontinent.
Where did he says that?? I watched the interview also