New Delhi: The Indian Air Force's powerful Republic Day video showcasing strikes on Pakistan's strategic military assets has reignited a long-standing question within defense and political circles: did IAF jets target the highly sensitive Kirana Hills during last year's Operation Sindoor? The visually striking footage, released on the official IAF X account, prominently features Pakistan's nuclear base in Sargodha being hit, accompanied by dramatic visuals of India's frontline fighter jets—Rafale, Sukhoi, Jaguar, and Tejas—with the bold caption "the enforcers of peace."
Official Denial Maintained Amid Renewed Speculation
When questioned about the implications of the new video, the Indian Air Force firmly reiterated its previous position. IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Jaideep Singh told TOI, "We still stand by the official version," without providing further elaboration. This stance echoes statements made during the conflict last year, when Air Marshal A K Bharti, then Director General of Air Operations, explicitly denied striking Kirana Hills during a press briefing. Responding to media queries on May 12, 2025, Air Marshal Bharti had stated with a smile, "We have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there. I did not brief in my briefing yesterday."
Strategic Significance of Kirana Hills
The renewed focus on Kirana Hills stems from its believed role as one of Pakistan's primary storage facilities for nuclear warheads. Last year, intense speculation emerged regarding whether Indian forces had targeted this critical location. Adding fuel to these discussions, a June 2025 Google Earth image analyzed by satellite imagery expert Damien Symon appeared to show missile impact evidence at the site, though official confirmation remained absent.
Operation Sindoor's Display of Advanced Capabilities
The Republic Day video serves as a comprehensive showcase of India's aerial strike capabilities during Operation Sindoor. Set to the stirring background score of 'Mahisasura Mardini,' the footage presents the Sindoor formation of fighter jets with a powerful narrative: "I stand as the unbreakable guarantor of peace. Should malevolent eyes dare and attempt to break this tranquillity, I rise as the fierce enforcer of peace. Infallible, Impervious, Precise."
Revealing Advanced Missile Arsenal
Beyond the strategic implications, the video provides rare glimpses of IAF's sophisticated weaponry deployed during operations. It clearly shows a Rafale fighter armed with two Meteor beyond-visual-range missiles, directly countering previous claims from Pakistani and Western critics that India lacked these advanced systems. The visual evidence effectively silences doubts about India's access to and utilization of the Meteor missile as part of the Rafale package.
Additional displays include the indigenous Astra air-to-air missile mounted on a Sukhoi fighter, a BrahMos cruise missile on another Sukhoi platform, and the ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missile loaded onto a Jaguar deep penetration strike aircraft. The video further reveals Hammer precision-guided munitions and Rampage precision strike missiles on another Rafale, collectively demonstrating the diverse and advanced arsenal employed during both the Balakot surgical strikes and Operation Sindoor.
Broader Strategic Implications
The IAF's visual presentation extends beyond Kirana Hills, showing strikes on multiple Pakistani military assets including the Nur Khan base. According to a recent Swiss report referenced in the context, these precise Indian strikes reportedly compelled Pakistan to seek peace negotiations. The comprehensive footage underscores India's growing capability to conduct precision strikes against high-value targets while maintaining strategic ambiguity about specific locations like Kirana Hills.
As defense analysts continue to dissect the Republic Day video's implications, the question of Kirana Hills remains officially unanswered but persistently relevant in assessing the full scope and impact of Operation Sindoor's aerial campaign against Pakistani military infrastructure.
