Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor (Retd) has served as the Director General (Inspection and Safety) of the Indian Air Force. He has also held the position of Commandant at both the Air Force Academy and the National Defence Academy. With over 7,800 hours of incident-free flying on various trainer, transport, and strategic aircraft, he is considered one of the stalwarts of Aerial Refuelling Operations in the Indian Air Force. He has also flown the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.

In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he talks about India’s air defence system that stunned Pakistan. He discusses advanced systems like the S-400 and Akash missile systems, and explains how the Indian Air Force successfully intercepted Pakistani drones and missiles.

Air Marshal Kapoor praises India’s engineers, scientists, and the Air Force for developing indigenous technology capable of countering threats from Pakistan. He also comments on the continued support the United States gives to Pakistan, despite Islamabad’s well-known record of harbouring terrorists and supporting state-sponsored terrorism.

00:00 - Introduction

00:39 - Operation Sindoor

05:08 - PM's Address to the Nation

09:53 - Air defence deal with Russia

19:19 - First day of Operation Sindoor

20:55 - Integrated Air Command and Control System

25:34 - Pakistan's drone & missiles attack

29:37 - Pak attacks on religious sites in India

34:05 - Pak's Nuclear threat

37:28 - 'Goli Ka Jawab Gola'

42:53 - Global aviation view on India-Pak crisis

45:56 - India's plan amid current conflict

50:42 - Talks only if PoK is returned

52:27 - Sargodha Airfield

54:34 - Is Karachi Port destroyed?

57:45 - Russia-Ukraine Conflict

1:02:16 - Indian vs Pak Air Force

1:07:15 - Will Pakistan strike again?

1:11:09 - US F-series fighter jets

1:12:48 - India's most potent weapon

1:15:18 - Ceasefire status