Operation Sindoor: Latest high-res satellite imagery reveals devastating impact to key Pakistani airbases (PHOTO)

India’s Operation Sindoor crippled Pakistan’s military infrastructure, dismantling its air power and strategic deterrence with precision strikes on key airbases and defence sites.

India's Operation Sindoor has dealt a humiliating blow to Pakistan’s military infrastructure. Latest high-resolution satellite images released by Maxar Technologies expose the massive damage inflicted by Indian precision strikes on several key Pakistani airbases, radar sites, and air defence units, effectively dismantling large chunks of Pakistan’s offensive capabilities.

Launched as a retaliatory operation after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, India's calculated and overwhelming aerial assault last week crippled Pakistan’s prized air assets, leaving its armed forces reeling and its leadership red-faced.

Maxar Images Lay Bare the Damage: Pakistan's Air Power in Tatters

The satellite imagery provides irrefutable proof of India’s surgical precision and operational superiority. Each set of before-and-after images confirms deep structural damage to some of Pakistan’s most critical airbases: Sukkur (Sindh), Nur Khan (Rawalpindi), Rahim Yar Khan (southern Punjab), Mushaf in Sargodha, Jacobabad (northern Sindh), and Bholari (northern Thatta district).

The satellite images reveal that Indian airstrikes caused significant damage at key military bases in Pakistan, leaving large craters on runways and destroying aircraft hangars, as well as administrative and storage buildings. Precision munitions also targeted radar sites in Pasrur and Sialkot. This retaliation followed Pakistan's failed attempt to intrude into Indian airspace, with incursions reported at over 26 locations on May 10.

India Hits Where It Hurts: Breakdown of Targets

Sukkur Airbase

Sukkur Airbase, a forward operational base of the Pakistan Air Force, also serves as the Begum Nusrat Bhutto International Airport, making it the second largest civilian airport in Sindh after Karachi's Jinnah International Airport. A satellite image reveals that one of the two aircraft shelters at this base has been completely destroyed.

Nur Khan Airbase

Situated within 10 km of the Pakistan Army Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, Nur Khan Airbase in Chaklala is home to PAF transport aircraft, including Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Ilyushin Il-78 refuellers, and Karakoram-8 trainers. Analysis of satellite imagery by open-source researcher Damien Symon reveals damage to at least two military transport vehicles at the base.

Mushaf Airbase

Indian missile strikes have left two large craters on the runway of Mushaf Airbase, one of which measures approximately 15 feet in radius, making it non-operational, according to satellite imagery. A smaller crater, around 10 feet in radius, is visible at the runway intersection. Damage to several transport vehicles is also evident.

Sargodha Airbase, considered the crown jewel of the Pakistan Air Force, is home to its most advanced fighter jets and critical institutions, including the Central Air Command, the Combat Commanders' School, and the Airpower Centre of Excellence. The base houses cutting-edge aircraft such as the American F-16 Fighting Falcon, Chinese Chengdu J-7, French Mirage 5, and the JF-17 Thunder.

Bholari Airbase

Bholari is one of Pakistan’s newest airbases, home to JF-17 Thunder and F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, as well as Saab 2000 AEWACs (airborne early warning and control aircraft) equipped with the Erieye radar system. A high-resolution satellite image indicates damage to one of the hangars housing aircraft, with indications that some aircraft may have also been affected at the Bholari Airbase.

Jacobabad Airbase

Jacobabad Airbase, once a vital NATO base during Operation Enduring Freedom — the US-led Global War on Terror — remains a strategic liability for Pakistan. It hosts some of the Pakistan Air Force's advanced assets, including the JF-17 Block II jets, multiple variants of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and Italian-made Leonardo AW139 helicopters, all of which are key to Pakistan's military operations. Additionally, private contractors reportedly maintain the American F-16 fleet stationed there. Recent satellite images reveal that the Indian Air Force effectively targeted and destroyed a hangar at Shahbaz Airbase in Jacobabad, dealing a significant blow to Pakistan’s air capabilities.

Rahim Yar Khan Airbase

The Indian airstrike left a massive crater, approximately 19 feet in radius, on Rahim Yar Khan’s only runway. Debris scattered around the impact zone extends to nearly 43 feet in radius. As a result of the damage, Pakistan has suspended all flight operations at the dual-use airport for a week. Daily operations at the airport are managed by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA).

India Also Neutralised Pakistan's Radar Eyes and Air Defence

India’s mission was not just to destroy airbases — it was to blind and disarm Pakistan’s air surveillance and response capabilities.

Targeted radar and air defence locations include Pasrur, Chunian, Sialkot, Lahore, and Malir Cantt (Karachi) These strategic sites were wiped out, further proving that India not only struck first but also struck smart.

Pakistan Confirms What It Tried to Hide: Heavy Military Losses

Despite initial denial and propaganda, Pakistan’s own military was forced to admit:

• 11 military personnel killed, including top Air Force technicians.
• 78 others wounded, some critically.

A Pakistan Air Force jet was also reportedly hit — although officials downplayed it as “minor damage”, the visuals released tells another story.

India-Pakistan Conflict Ends in Pakistan’s Strategic Defeat

After four days of failed retaliation, Pakistan finally bowed out, calling for a halt in military action on Saturday. The damage, however, had been done — not just to bases and equipment, but to Pakistan's military credibility and deterrence narrative.

Operation Sindoor has delivered a loud and clear message to Pakistan: any attack or sponsorship of terror on Indian soil will be met with swift, calculated, and overwhelming retaliation.

India’s strikes didn’t just destroy infrastructure — they dismantled the myth of Pakistan’s air superiority and exposed the hollow core of its military preparedness.

The subcontinent has seen many skirmishes, but Operation Sindoor will go down in history as the night India rewrote the rules of engagement — and Pakistan was forced to watch.