Pak UAV shot at near Bikaner

A Pakistani Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was shot down by the Indian defence forces after it crossed the Indian border near Bikaner in Rajasthan on Monday.

“At 11.30 am an unidentified flying object from Pakistani side violated India's airspace in Rajasthan. Indian fighter jets scrambled and fired Air to Air Missiles. Debris landed on the other side near Fort Abbas in Pakistan,” sources said.

The defence ministry officials, however, are yet to comment on the incident even though the images of the debris surfaced in several social media accounts, originating in Pakistan.

The Pakistani UAV was detected by India's air defence radars that are on high alert following the Pulwama terror strike and the subsequent flare up between India and Pakistan.

IAF's Su-30MKI aircraft took off from the Nal airbase near Bikaner and fired air-to-air missile on the UAV, destroying the equipment.

This is the second instance of a Pakistani UAV being shot by the IAF within the last 10 days— the previous one happened on February 26.

The Indian action comes on a day when IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa, said that the IAF operations across the LoC were ongoing.

“I will not comment on the ongoing operations,” Dhanoa said at a press conference at Suur, giving rise to speculations on whether more actions could be seen across the border.