NEW DELHI: The entire two-hour-long operation which started with the Mirage-2000 jets taking off from Gwalior and culminating in all IAF planes touching down at their home bases was like a well-choreographed ballet in the skies, with multiple aircraft from different directions coming together in the top-secret plan for the cross-border strikes, a defence source said here.

After the air strikes, the Indian armed forces have activated their entire air defence network of sensors and shooters, ranging from the Spyder quick-reaction anti-aircraft missiles to the Akash area defence missile system, with an interception range of 25-km to prevent enemy fighters, helicopters and drones from attacking vital installations.

Even as IAF jets undertake regular combat air patrols to prevent any ingress by enemy aircraft, different airbases are also maintaining round-the-clock ORPs (operational readiness platforms).

