India’s Operation Sindoor, executed in the early hours of May 7, 2025, marked a significant escalation in the country’s ability to conduct precision, stand-off strikes against high-value targets deep inside hostile territory.
In response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed its most advanced assets, notably the Rafale fighter jets, which have been described as “super fighters” due to their technological edge and multi-role capabilities. The operation targeted nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, using a combination of Rafale, Mirage-2000, and Su-30MKI aircraft, each chosen for specific mission roles.
The Rafale’s effectiveness in Operation Sindoor was amplified by its integration with advanced weaponry, especially the Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM). While the Rafale fighters in this operation were primarily armed with SCALP cruise missiles for ground strikes—capable of hitting fortified targets up to 250 km away—the underlying deterrent and air superiority role was underpinned by the Meteor missile, often referred to as a “monster” in air combat circles.
The Meteor’s unique ramjet propulsion allows it to cruise efficiently and accelerate to Mach 4.5 in the terminal phase, maintaining high energy to engage manoeuvring targets at ranges exceeding 150 km, with a no-escape zone (NEZ) of 60–80 km—2.5 to 3 times greater than most contemporary missiles.
This combination gives the IAF a “first-shot, first-kill” capability, allowing Rafale pilots to detect, engage, and destroy enemy aircraft from well outside the effective missile range of adversaries such as Pakistan’s F-16s (armed with AIM-120C AMRAAM) and JF-17s or J-10Cs (equipped with Chinese PL-15 missiles)
In a contested airspace, the Rafale-Meteor duo acts like a sniper: it can neutralise threats from stand-off distances, leveraging stealth, advanced AESA radar, and the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite to dominate the aerial battlespace and reduce the risk of counterattack. Pakistani analysts have acknowledged the Meteor’s superiority, expressing concern over its ability to outclass their best air-to-air missiles in both range and NEZ.
During Operation Sindoor, Rafale jets were tasked with striking the most fortified terror camps in Pakistan’s heartland, using SCALP missiles for deep-penetration precision attacks, while their presence—backed by the Meteor—ensured air dominance and deterred any potential aerial response from the Pakistan Air Force.
