China Eyes BrahMos, SCALP-EG and Harop Debris from Operation Sindoor as Strategic Intelligence Goldmine

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Fragments of advanced Indian missile systems used during Operation Sindoor—namely the supersonic BrahMos, MBDA-developed SCALP-EG, and Israeli-made Harop drones—are now reportedly being scrutinised by foreign weapons experts in what analysts are calling an unprecedented surge in battlefield technical exploitation.

Defence sources in the region suggest that these missile remnants, recovered from Pakistani territory following Indian airstrikes, have become prime material for technical intelligence (TECHINT) gathering by adversarial states, especially China.

“Fragments from BrahMos, SCALP-EG and Israeli Harop kamikaze drones represent a technical intelligence treasure trove, as they offer clues into the operational performance and system design of these advanced weapons,” said a U.S.-based defence and geopolitical analyst.

“Weapons experts from several nations, most notably China—which remains Pakistan’s primary defence partner—are particularly eager to extract information from these remnants, especially since Beijing manufactures systems that compete directly with the BrahMos and SCALP-EG,” the analyst added.

The interest reflects growing international concern over the strategic and tactical use of next-generation cruise missiles in regional conflicts, and how their vulnerabilities could be reverse-engineered to inform countermeasure development.

The Indo-Russian BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile capable of flying at speeds up to Mach 3 and striking targets on land and sea with pinpoint accuracy from multiple platforms including fighters, warships, and mobile ground launchers.

SCALP-EG, also known as Storm Shadow in British service, is a stealthy, terrain-following, subsonic cruise missile developed by European defence giant MBDA for deep-penetration missions against hardened targets.

Reports indicate that following India’s launch of BrahMos missiles against key Pakistani military installations on May 10, at least one missile was intercepted and destroyed by Pakistan’s air defence systems over Jacobabad, preventing a strike on PAF’s strategically important Shahbaz Air Base.

The missile’s wreckage, scattered across several locations, included identifiable components such as a seeker believed to be of Russian origin—highlighting the hybrid nature of India’s current BrahMos configuration ahead of planned indigenisation.

Images circulating on social media show infrastructure damage to Shahbaz Air Base, but confirm that no aircraft or critical PAF systems were destroyed in the attempted strike.

The same day, Pakistani officials also linked missile fragments discovered near the Bhawalpur mosque—targeted around May 6 or 7—to a BrahMos missile attack, which reportedly caused civilian casualties and sparked widespread condemnation.

Strategically located in Sindh province near Pakistan’s border with India and Afghanistan, Shahbaz Air Base hosts the Pakistan Air Force’s fleet of F-16C/D Block 52+ fighters acquired from the United States and plays a vital role in Pakistan’s air defence posture and nuclear deterrence matrix.

In a separate incident, Pakistan’s air defences also reportedly neutralised an incoming SCALP-EG missile aimed at PAF Base Mushaf in Sargodha—one of the most critical strategic airfields in the Pakistani military’s order of battle.

PAF Base Mushaf, situated in Punjab province, serves as the headquarters of the Air Force Central Command and hosts elite combat training units as well as strategic air assets, including squadrons of JF-17 Thunder fighters jointly developed with China.

Among the units stationed there are the No. 16 “Black Panthers” and No. 26 “Black Spiders,” which represent the operational backbone of Pakistan’s multi-role air combat capability in the north-central sector.

According to regional observers, the BrahMos and SCALP-EG strikes are believed to have been launched from Indian Air Force Rafale and Mirage 2000 fighters, with SCALP-EG’s precision-strike capability underscoring India’s growing deep-strike doctrine.

The incidents also raise critical questions about the effectiveness and readiness of Pakistan’s Chinese-origin air defence systems, some of which may include HQ-9/P variants and LY-80 systems—designed to intercept medium- and long-range threats.

Western analysts now believe that the interception of these missiles by Pakistani defences has created an unexpected opportunity for both allies and adversaries to study the debris, especially with components remaining largely intact due to mid-air intercepts rather than terminal detonation.

Understanding SCALP-EG: Deep Strike Weapon with Strategic Implications

The SCALP-EG, also known as Storm Shadow in British service, is among the most sophisticated long-range cruise missiles deployed in modern warfare.

Developed by MBDA, it was specifically engineered to allow European and allied air forces to strike hardened and strategic targets deep inside enemy territory without exposing their aircraft to hostile air defences.

With a range that varies between 250 and 560 km depending on configuration, the missile has been integrated onto platforms such as the Rafale, Mirage 2000, Typhoon, and Tornado, enabling multi-national operational flexibility.

Its design incorporates stealth shaping and terrain-hugging flight, allowing it to evade radar detection by flying at altitudes as low as 30 metres above ground level.

Guidance is ensured through a multi-mode system that combines GPS, inertial navigation, terrain contour matching, and an advanced infrared imaging seeker, allowing precision even in GPS-jammed environments.

The BROACH warhead, consisting of a tandem penetrator and a follow-on explosive charge, allows the SCALP-EG to breach hardened facilities such as command centres, missile silos, and underground bunkers before devastating them internally.

It was combat-tested in Iraq, Libya, and Syria, where it demonstrated the ability to neutralise critical assets with minimal collateral damage during high-intensity Western air campaigns.

In contrast to Europe’s doctrine of stealth and precision, India’s BrahMos cruise missile emphasises speed, shock, and overwhelming kinetic force as its strategic hallmark.

Jointly developed with Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya, the BrahMos is the fastest operational cruise missile in the world, capable of maintaining sustained speeds of Mach 2.8 to 3.0.

Initially limited to a 290 km range under MTCR restrictions, its newer variants such as BrahMos-ER extend reach to over 450 km, with India testing future configurations projected to strike at 1,000 km.

It employs a two-stage propulsion system, using a solid rocket booster for launch and a ramjet sustainer for supersonic cruise, giving it both speed and manoeuvrability.

BrahMos is deployed across all three branches of India’s armed forces, making it a truly tri-service strike platform central to New Delhi’s deterrence doctrine.

The Su-30MKI carries the BrahMos-A variant, naval destroyers and frigates are equipped with ship-launched models, and the Army fields mobile land-based batteries.

A lighter and faster BrahMos-NG is under development, designed to equip smaller fighters such as the Tejas and MiG-29K, further broadening its deployment spectrum.

The export of BrahMos to the Philippines has introduced supersonic strike capability into Southeast Asia for the first time, with Manila planning to deploy it against Chinese naval manoeuvres in the South China Sea.

Vietnam has also expressed interest in BrahMos, while Indonesia and Thailand are exploring possibilities, suggesting a wider Indo-Pacific proliferation of the system.

The strategic significance of SCALP-EG and BrahMos extends beyond their battlefield use into the realm of intelligence, particularly through debris recovery.

Fragments of SCALP-EG retrieved in Ukraine have given Russia access to valuable insights into Western missile design, likely informing future upgrades to its S-400 and S-500 defence systems.

Similarly, the accidental landing of a BrahMos missile inside Pakistan in 2022 provided Islamabad and potentially Beijing with intelligence opportunities to study material composition, seeker technology, and software logic.

The interception or recovery of these missiles enables adversaries to accelerate the development of countermeasures, including advanced jammers, decoys, and interception systems.

China is closely studying these systems as it continues to refine its own cruise missile arsenal, while Pakistan integrates Chinese HQ-9 and LY-80 air defence systems to defend against BrahMos salvos.

The race between offensive missile development and defensive missile interception is intensifying globally, with nations investing in next-generation systems.

Russia’s Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, China’s DF-17, and the U.S. Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile represent the evolution of hypersonic strike capabilities aimed at outrunning and overwhelming traditional air defence.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being incorporated into strike systems, enabling autonomous swarming missiles that can saturate radar and defence networks simultaneously.

Despite the push toward hypersonics, the SCALP-EG and BrahMos remain highly relevant as combat-proven systems that demonstrate the effectiveness of deep-strike cruise missiles.

The SCALP-EG represents the precision surgeon’s scalpel, optimised for stealth infiltration and surgical target elimination.

The BrahMos embodies the heavy armoured spear, delivering shock and awe through speed and devastating impact before defences can respond.

Both reflect distinct doctrinal philosophies yet converge on the same strategic truth that long-range cruise missiles are indispensable in modern deterrence and warfighting.

The future of warfare will not only be decided by who strikes first, but by who survives the retaliatory strike that follows.

In that context, every missile fragment recovered today could shape the weapons of tomorrow, turning battlefield debris into the blueprint of future wars.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA