‘India outmatched Pakistan, achieved clear-cut victory’: Austrian warfare analyst ahead of Op Sindoor anniversary
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According to Cooper, the attacks carried out during Operation Sindoor were both strategically important and highly effective.
“India has carried out highly successful retaliatory strikes against major terrorist camps in Pakistan and has also hit targets that were considered untouchable, at points beyond India’s so-called reach,” he said. “The damage was immense and pushed Pakistan into a defensive posture.”
He underlined that India’s operational capacity indicates a significant shift in its strategic approach.
“New Delhi has sent a very clear message: We can hit whoever we want in Pakistan and you can’t stop us,” Cooper said. Following India’s attacks on terrorist infrastructure on the night of May 7 last year, Pakistan tried to escalate tensions by targeting India’s air bases, military installations and civilian areas, especially around Amritsar. But those efforts failed to achieve their goals, Cooper said.
“Indian air defense systems worked exactly as designed,” he said. “They intercepted and destroyed more than 95 to 98 percent of the rockets, missiles, UAVs coming from Pakistan. Pakistan’s retaliation was almost completely neutralized.”
After Islamabad escalated tensions, India further increased the pressure by precisely targeting Pakistan’s air defense systems and key air bases.
“When Pakistan considered escalating tensions with tactical ballistic and cruise missiles, India not only thwarted those efforts but also carried out highly precise strikes that disabled Pakistan’s core capabilities,” Cooper said. he explained.
According to him, this series of events has created significant pressure on the Pakistani leadership. “India has shown that it is fully prepared to escalate tensions and can launch precise and effective strikes,” he said.
Cooper left little doubt when asked who was the winner. “The winner is definitely clear,” he said. “Last year I called this a decisive victory, and there is no reason to change that assessment today.”
He added that the limited tactical successes claimed by Pakistan did not change the overall outcome. “They may have won one or two air battles at most, but they lost the war,” he said.
Cooper also noted the domestic factors that shaped Pakistan’s conduct during and after the conflict.
“Pakistan’s armed forces must justify their dominance over the civilian government,” he said.
“They need to explain why they control the country and why there is such a focus on military power.”
He described a system in which maintaining the image of military power was central to the country’s internal narrative. “They are essentially telling their people that the armed forces must remain strong and ‘invincible,'” he said.
Asked about China’s role, Cooper noted that Pakistan’s military modernization efforts are based on Chinese platforms, but these efforts face limitations.
“Pakistan tried to strengthen its army with systems such as J-10 warplanes and PL-15 missiles,” he said. “However, these are temporary measures and do not provide a long-term solution.”
He also highlighted Pakistan’s economic difficulties. “Pakistan is under significant financial distress and cannot sustain large-scale procurement without external support,” he said.
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According to Cooper, many large-scale investment projects also had difficulty delivering the expected results.
Going forward, Cooper suggested that tensions between India and Pakistan remain. “This means we should expect similar situations in the future,” he said. “The fundamental issues have not been fully resolved.”
Cooper’s assessment underscores India’s growing military capacity to conduct precision, high-impact operations even against deeply buried targets.
He argues that the outcome of ‘Operation Sindoor’ demonstrates India’s preparedness, technological prowess and ability to respond decisively to emerging threats.
