Pakistan has had to face embarrassment yet again after a geo-intelligence expert exposed the country’s false claims that its military had attacked India’s Adampur air base in May month’s conflict.
According to expert Damien Symon, some Pakistani reports said a Sukhoi Su-30 MKI was damaged in a strike on the Adampur air base in Punjab. However, Symon shared a satellite image from March 2025, which is before the conflict, showing a MiG-29 jet undergoing regular maintenance. The dark marks close to the engine test area were found to be routine and not a result of any strike.
Since India launched Operation Sindoor in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, Pakistan has been using various channels to spread false news to discredit India’s successful operations. But so far, none of these claims have held up.
Earlier, Pakistan had also claimed that it had destroyed India’s advanced S-400 air defence system using a missile fired from a JF-17 fighter jet. However, these claims were quickly dismissed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Adampur air base on May 13, three days after the conflict ended.
Pakistan had earlier released a blurry satellite image of a patch of land and claimed it showed a destroyed S-400. But the image had no visible damage, and social media users were quick to call it out as fake.
Why Adampur air base matters?
Adampur is one of India’s most important air bases, especially known for its northern defence. Located about 100 km from the border, it played a major role in past wars, especially in the year 1965 when it was a top target but never breached. The base hosts key aircraft like the MiG-29s and the Su-30 MKIs. It is equipped with modern radar and missile systems, including the S-400 deployed in 2022. It helps protect states like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan.