At just 20 years of age, over 3,000 Agniveers—soldiers enlisted on the new Agnipath scheme. These young soldiers were the backbone of India’s air defence guard in Operation Sindoor. These troops, having been trained under a four-year service pattern, handled key weapons and equipment with aplomb, fending off Indian military bases and cities from incessant Pakistani drone and missile attacks between May 7 and May 10.
Sources privy to the operation said that no matter how successive waves of enemy attacks pounded at them, Pakistan was unable to penetrate India’s resilient air defence.
This mission was a baptism by fire for the Agniveers, who had been in the army for just a while. “The Agniveers underwent a baptism by fire and successfully repelled the enemy’s attempts to attack our bases and cities. Indications from the army’s frontline AD units indicate that they have earned their spurs and that their performance was similar to regular soldiers.” This should end the controversy surrounding the Agnipath scheme,” said one of the insiders who did not wish to be named.
A few air defence units, each consisting of 150-200 Agniveers, were instrumental in repelling Pakistan’s aerial attacks. The energy and determination of these troops were instrumental during a period when the nation was at the top of military tensions.
Operation Sindoor: India’s Strong Response to Terrorism
Operation Sindoor was launched in the wee hours of May 7 as a strong Indian reaction against the Pahalgam terror strike that took away 26 lives. Op Sindoor consisted of several hits on terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, killing more than 100 terrorists. This quick and muscular response elicited four days of massive military action between India and Pakistan, with both countries dispatching fighter aircraft, missiles, drones, and heavy guns. In the end, the confrontation came to a close with a ceasefire on May 10.
Justice is Served.
Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/Aruatj6OfA
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) May 6, 2025
The operation not just demonstrated India’s military might but also evaluated the strength of new induction systems and recruitment strategies.
Akashteer: The Technological Backbone of the Air Defence Grid
Agniveers played a critical role in manning the Akashteer system, a domesticly developed air defence reporting and control system. Akashteer, which was launched just last year and was purchased from Bharat Electronics Limited for ₹1,982 crore, was the centerpiece of India’s multi-layered air defense matrix during the conflicts.
The system combines sensors, weapons, and communication networks to facilitate faster decision-making and present a complete battle picture to ground forces. One top official described, “Akashteer is a marriage of hardware and software platforms in mobile battle groups with integrated high-tech communications. It sharpened the army’s stance and enabled it to command the AD battle by giving ground troops (which included Agniveers, among others) the battle picture so that they could react in a timely and integrated manner to neutralise the threats.”
Due to this synergy, the Indian troops immediately identified, pursued, and destroyed several Pakistani drones and missiles, including Chinese-origin PL-15 air-to-air missiles and Turkish-origin drones.
The Functionality and Capability of Agniveers in Air Defence
The air defence troops engaged along the western front saw Agniveers excel at the highest level across a range of specialist positions. These specialist positions consisted of gunners, operators of fire control, radio operators, and drivers of heavy missile-launch vehicles.
They operated and fired a variety of weapon systems like improved L-70 guns, Zu-23-2Bs, Pechora, Schilka, OSA-AK, Strela, Tunguska, and medium-range surface-to-air missiles. They also manned radars and Akashteer nodes, took charge of communications, and served as sentries once they had deployed the weapon systems in the theater of operations.
The fact that they could conduct shoulder-fired missile operations as well as operate advanced military equipment showed their strict training and flexibility.
Agnipath Scheme: A Revolutionary Military Recruitment for Agniveers
Introduced three years ago, the Agnipath scheme was a departure from India’s traditional decades-long recruitment system. In contrast to the original model, involving around 20 years of service, Agnipath hires soldiers for a specific four-year term. The military retains around 25% of these soldiers for regular service, while it offers the remaining ones a retrenchment package.
The scheme targets young men and women aged 17.5 to 21, offering an annual salary starting at ₹4.76 lakh and a variety of insurance and ex gratia benefits. However, the military does not grant Agniveers who leave after four years any pensions or lifelong health and canteen benefits, unlike legacy soldiers.
To deal with upcoming employment opportunities for Agniveers, the government has kept 10% of Central Armed Police Forces’ vacancies reserved and invited defense public sector enterprises and various states to design reservations of recruitment and relax the age conditions for Agniveers.
India’s Decisive Air Defence Shield
India’s air defence runs a layered grid with an array of sophisticated weapons systems, ranging from the S-400 missile system. Akashteer is a command center for combining this grid and facilitating swift, joint action.
In the May conflict, Pakistan’s effort to hit strategic points such as the Golden Temple of Amritsar did not succeed, with India’s air defence fending off missile and drone attacks.
The Indian Air Force retaliated strongly, hitting terror camps and military bases deep within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the most intense strikes since the 1971 war.
