Is this a way to settle scores?
The most heinous and gruesome attack has been unleashed on the country. About 40 soldiers have died owing to the conspiracy of an extremist organization in Pulwama, Kashmir. Many have been injured. This attack is as bad as the war. This attack has been made on the soul of this country. It’s an irony that this grisly incident has happened during the last few days of Modi being in office, after he had assured that he’d bring ten heads of Pak soldiers for every Indian soldier killed before he took oath of the PM’s office.
This is such a mockery of surgical strike that the government claimed to have carried out after extremists struck Uri, after which the country called for a revenge resonating through the country. A film was also made based on surgical strike and while the film is making crores, a barbaric attack was unleashed on Indian Army and 40 soldiers paid with their lives. Only 16 people had lost their lives in Uri attack in 2016, but this attack has left more than double number of victims as soldiers. This tragedy is probably a message to Modi that people cannot be kept under a spell always trying to hide reality.
The fight between extremists and terrorists is ages old in Kashmir. Extremists have attacked soldiers many times over in the past. Similarly, even the army has retaliated to extremists. The army also knows as they begin smoking out the extremists from their holes, they step up their attack. Hence Army and intelligence forces should take adequate caution about this. If the extremists had blown up some city or some school, we could have called this attack as cowardice and the conniving nature of their work. But this attack is not on innocent children or general public, instead on the core of India. They have attacked the very core of India’s security.
So, the question of “who’s responsible for this attack?” does not end here by merely condemning Pakistan. That country is breeding and sheltering terrorists. They are being trained and sent to launch attack on India. This is evident to the whole world. The investigation needs to inform the people of this country about how the extremists could get massive amounts of RDX beyond the security cover? This investigation should also nail those who failed at providing this input and such incidents are not repeated in the future.
Most of all, ignorance has led to this attack accepted Governor Satyapal Malik who has said despite getting a particular intelligence input. The soldiers are killing extremists one after another. Why did no one spare a thought about a retaliatory attack being tougher than ever before. The fact that this extremist had massive amounts of explosive. This reveals how the extremist had prepared to launch the assault. Who gave him the information about particular Army vehicle movement? Just as this attack has Pakistani influence, can our own people too have their own favs from within the government? (Aurangzeb’s act of silencing terrorists had our people, this fact was known only recently) All these have to be investigated.
Before PM Modi came to power, the army had maintained its distance from the politics. After he assumed power, every accomplishment by the Army became a joyous occasion for the party. Government participated in the surgical strike that happens often in secrecy. Modi finally kept the interest of the entire army to Ambani. Even officers within the army had to defend Modi by way of conducting press conferences.
With this being the background, all other political conspiracies also need to be investigated. Not just that, Modi’s approach to Kashmir after he assumed office also added to the problem. RSS and BJP together took decisions regarding Kashmir. Opposition to beef consumption, killing of cattle traders, ghettoization of Pandits in Kashmir, terrible crimes by army on civilians, pellet guns being used against women and children, tying people to jeep as shield, all these issues of total distrust among people. Extremists used them to their own advantage. Demonetisation worsened the Kashmir problem instead of solving it. Unemployed youth took to wrong routes. Army treating every voice of dissent as “terrorists” pushed younger men into extremism.
This is the sole reason for maximum number of assaults against army happening during Modi’s time. About 170 attacks had taken place during the UPA time in 2013, and this number went up by four times with 614 attacks during Modi’s time. While the youth who took to extremism in 2013 stood at 16, it went up by 12 times at 191 in 2018. More than anything else, the worrying factor during Modi’s time is that the civilians are taking soft stance about extremists. The government has said it would ‘seek revenge’ for this attack. What would that mean? Is the govt seeking revenge from civilians? If that happens, India may lose Pakistan forever. On one hand the extremists need to be contained and on the other, exercises to create good faith among Kashmiris have to be on. To make Kashmiris stay with India is the only revenge India can seek from Pakistan. The government needs to strategise for this and unless we make Kashmiris our people, we’ll never be able to claim their land. The government needs to understand this clearly.
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Iran Shocks World, Hits F-35
America's most advanced fighter jet, the F-35, was never hit in combat — not once, in its entire history. Countries spend over ₹900 crore to buy just one of these aircraft. The whole world believed this plane was untouchable. Then, on March 19, something happened over Iranian skies that shocked military experts across the globe.
Iran hit it. And nobody saw it coming.
America Was Too Confident — That Was the Problem
Before understanding how this happened, you need to understand what America believed going into this. The US had been bombing Iran since February 28. After roughly 20 days of heavy strikes, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Iran's air defences were completely destroyed — finished, flattened, gone.
US President Donald Trump even said proudly, "We can fly wherever we want, and no one is even firing at us."
Based on this confidence, America flew its prized F-35 deep into the heart of central Iran. That alone tells you how sure they were. You don't send your most expensive jet into enemy territory unless you believe there is zero danger.
But Iran, a country under heavy international sanctions, still had something left. And it used that something extremely well.
So How Did Iran Actually Hit a Stealth Jet?
Here is where it gets interesting for regular people to understand.
We have all heard the word "stealth" — it sounds like the plane is completely invisible. But India Today explained that stealth only means it is hard to detect by radar. Hard — not impossible. It does not mean the aircraft is totally invisible.
Think of it this way. Even if you cannot see someone in a dark room, you can still feel their body heat if they stand close enough. That is almost exactly what happened here.
The F-35's engines produce enormous heat. Iran's weapon likely used an infrared sensor — basically a heat-seeking system — to detect that heat, lock onto it, and follow the jet. No radar needed. The F-35's biggest advantage, its radar-invisibility, simply did not matter.
The weapon Iran likely used was the 358 missile — also called SA-67 — which is a loitering munition. Think of it as a slow, intelligent drone that flies around patiently waiting, scanning the sky for heat signals from aircraft engines. Once it finds one, it chases it down. Iran has used this exact weapon before against American MQ-9 Reaper drones — and since this war started, America has already lost more than 12 of those drones.
This Has Happened Before — In 1999
This is not the first time America's "invisible" aircraft was brought down by a smarter enemy.
In 1999, during NATO's bombing campaign over Serbia, the US flew its F-117 Nighthawk — which was then considered the world's most advanced stealth aircraft. Serbian forces shot it down using an old Soviet missile system from the 1960s. Not with new technology — with clever thinking. They briefly switched on their radar, caught the jet at the right moment when its stealth was less effective, and fired.
The lesson both then and now is the same — no aircraft is completely invincible. Smart tactics can beat expensive technology.
Why This Changes Everything in the Iran War
Here is the bigger picture that really matters.
America and Israel had told the world that Iran's air defences were basically dead. Based on that, they sent massive B-1 and B-2 bombers — aircraft that are normally used only when a country is 100% sure it controls the enemy's sky. That is a huge military risk to take.
But if an F-35 — the most advanced aircraft in the sky — can still be hit, then Iran's defences are clearly not dead. Some pieces are still very much alive and working.
This means the US and Israel may now be forced to completely rethink their war plan. Their jets may need to fly higher, use longer-range weapons, and spend far more time and money finding where Iran's remaining defence systems are hiding underground.
Around 15 countries use the F-35 today. Even India was offered this jet by Trump during PM Modi's White House visit — though India has not shown interest so far.
Geopolitical expert Adam summed it up simply — a heavily sanctioned country just tracked, chased, and hit the world's most expensive stealth jet. That is not a small thing.
Sometimes, one moment changes everything.
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
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