Ukraine War: Time For India To Rethink its Military Doctrine Modeled On Russia's?

Apr 25, 2022

India's Russian-equipped and trained military is watching with great concern Russia's losses in the Ukraine war. Moscow has lost 20,000 soldiers, nearly 500 main battle tanks and a large warship so far, according to media reports. Ukraine's use of Turkish drones, US-made anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) Javelins and Ukrainian anti-ship Neptune missiles has taken a heavy toll on the Russian Army and Navy. It is notable that India's Cold Start Doctrine against Pakistan is modeled on the Russian formation known as the “operational maneuver group” (OMG).

Russian Influence On Indian Military Doctrine. Source: Air University, US Air Force

Russian Influence on Indian Military Doctrine:

It is well known that the Indian Army relies on Russian tanks, artillery, rockets, and ammunition. The Indian Navy uses Russian ships, submarines and missiles and the Russian Su-30 MKI forms the backbone of the Indian Air Force. Like Russia, the Indian military doctrine is based on deploying large platforms (tanks, artillery, ships and fighter-bombers) with massive firepower. Here's an excerpt of an article by Dr. Vipin Narang, an Indian-American analyst, on the subject:

"In terms of doctrine and strategy, although it may be difficult to trace direct influence and lineage between Russia and India, there are several pieces in India’s conventional and nuclear strategy that at least mirror Russia’s behavior. On the conventional side, the core formation in the quick-strike concept known as “Cold Start” or “proactive strategy options” was modeled on the Russian formation known as the “operational maneuver group” (OMG). The idea was to have a formation that could be rapidly assembled from tank and armored divisions that could break through reinforced defenses—NATO for Russia, and Pakistan’s I and II Corps in the plains and desert sectors for India.

"On the nuclear side, India is currently seized with the same dilemma as the Soviet Union was during the Cold War: both NATO and Pakistan threaten battlefield nuclear weapons against conventional thrusts (India, at least, presumably would be retaliating following a Pakistan-backed provocation). While both states refined their conventional concept of operations, there may have also been corresponding adjustments to their nuclear strategies. It was long believed that, in response to NATO threats to use nuclear weapons first on the battlefield, the Soviet Union had strong preemptive counterforce elements in its strategy to try to at least disarm the United States of its strategic nuclear weapons for damage limitation. It is increasingly evident that at least some serious Indian officials are interested in developing the same sort of option: preemptive counterforce against Pakistan’s strategic nuclear forces, both for damage limitation and to reopen India’s conventional superiority. It is no surprise perhaps, then, that India chose to go ahead with acquiring Russia’s S-400 missile and air defense system, despite the threat of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions from the United States: the S-400 is key to India’s damage limitation strategy, capable of potentially intercepting residual ballistic and cruise missiles that a counterforce strike might miss".

Pakistani Military Official in Ukraine. Source: New York Times

Turkish Drones:

Turkish Bayraktar TB2 has been highly effective in destroying Russian tanks and armor in Ukraine. It is playing a key role in Ukraine's counter offensives against Russia's invasion. It is proving so effective that "Ukrainian forces are singing its praises, literally", according to a CNN report.

Indian Army has nearly 6,000 tanks of Russian origin. These tanks are just as vulnerable to drone and anti-tank missiles as the Russian tanks that perished in Ukraine.

Pakistan has developed Baktar Shikan, a second-generation man-portable anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system which uses optical aiming, IR tracking, remotely controlled and wire transmitted guidance signals. It can also be mounted on attack helicopters and Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs). Its long range, penetration power and a powerful anti-jamming capability form a potent defense against armored targets.

Pakistan is also reported to have already acquired Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones recently. It was displayed in the Pakistan Day Parade on March 23, 2022, along with other military equipment acquired recently by the Pakistani defense forces.

Anti-Ship Missiles:

Ukraine claims that its Neptune anti-ship missiles hit and sank Moskva in Black Sea. It was a large 10,000-ton guided missile cruiser of the Russian Navy that was launching cruise missiles on targets in Eastern and Southern Ukraine. It is the largest warship to have been sunk in action since WWII.

Vast majority of Indian Navy ships, including its aircraft carriers and missile frigates, are designed, built and equipped by Russians.

Pakistan recently showcased its anti-ship missile Harbah at DIMDEX 2022, a defense expo in Qatar. It is a medium range ship launched subsonic cruise missile system capable of targeting sea as well as land targets in “all weather operation” at a maximum range of 280 kilometers, according to a report in NavalNews. The missile is fire and forget type. It relies on inertial navigation technologies with GPS and GLONASS systems. According to its manufacturer GIDS, the missile features the following guidance systems: a DSMAC camera, imaging infrared seeker, and radar seeker.

Summary:

The war in Ukraine is forcing a defense strategy rethink in countries such as India which rely on Russian equipment and training. Hindustan Times has quoted an unnamed former Indian Army Chief as saying: “War videos available show that the Russian Army has tactical issues in Ukraine war. Tell me, which tank formation goes to war in a single file without air or infantry cover when the opponent is equipped with the best anti-tank guided missile like Javelin or Turkish Bayraktar TB2 missile firing drones? There is question on Russian air supremacy with Ukraine Army armed with shoulder fired Stinger surface to air missiles as well as the night fighting capability of the Russian Air Force.”

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Riaz Haq

Turkish Century
@TurkishCentury
🇵🇰🇹🇷 Pakistan's Navy has reportedly inked a contract with the #Karachi Shipyard to begin the construction of the advanced #Jinnah-class multirole frigate!

Based on the #ASFAT AS3400 platform with full ToT (Transfer of Technology), the Jinnah-class is the most recent outcome of the extensive Turkish-Pakistani cooperation in #shipbuilding and naval systems engineering that is rooted in the #Milgem-PN program that gave the world the formidable #Babur-class heavy corvettes.

Jinnah is a highly advanced 3300+ton frigate customized for the unique needs of brotherly Pakistan with the goal of complete domination of the seas, as well as the sky above and the depths below. Armed with #antiship, #antiaircraft, cruise missiles as well as heavy torpedoes, it fully covers all aspects of littoral & blue-water operations, anti-ship/air/submarine warfare, and power projection in the high seas.

First steel-cutting is expected within a few months with plans to build a total of six (6) frigates.

https://x.com/TurkishCentury/status/1985985856453120185

Nov 5, 2025
Riaz Haq

The Pakistan Navy’s fourth Hangor-class submarine, named Ghazi, was launched at Shuangliu Base in Wuhan, China, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced on Wednesday.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1961663

With the Ghazi’s launch, the ISPR hailed “another significant milestone” by the navy, where all four submarines being built in China are currently undergoing “rigorous sea trials and are in the final stages of being handed over to Pakistan”.

“The Government of Pakistan signed an agreement with China for [the] acquisition of eight Hangor-class submarines. Under this contract, four submarines are being built in China and [the] remaining four will be constructed in Pakistan by Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works Ltd (KS&EW), under Transfer of Technology (ToT),” the ISPR said in a statement.

The military’s media wing added that the submarines will be fitted with advanced weaponry and sensors capable of engaging targets at standoff ranges.

“Hangor-class submarines will be pivotal in maintaining peace and stability in the region,” the statement read, adding that the launch ceremony was attended by senior officials from China and Pakistan, exemplifying deepening bilateral cooperation.

The navy launched the first of the new submarines in April 2024, while the second and third were launched on March 15 and August 15 this year, respectively.

The submarine class, named after the PNS Hangor, is a diesel-electric attack submarine with air-independent propulsion technology, which allows it to travel over greater distances before resurfacing.

During the 1971 Pakistan-India war, the then-PNS Hangor became the first submarine to sink a warship after World War II, sinking an Indian frigate. After being decommissioned, the Hangor is now on display at the Pakistan Maritime Museum in Karachi.

Dec 17, 2025
Riaz Haq

On 03 January, Pakistan’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) test-fired the Taimoor air-launched cruise missile (ALCM).

https://quwa.org/pakistan-air-force-news/600km-low-altitude-flight-...

According to the ISPR, the Taimoor ALCM “is capable of engaging enemy land and sea targets with high precision at a range of 600 kilometres, carrying a conventional warhead.” In addition, the ISPR highlighted the Taimoor ALCM’s ability to fly at “very low altitudes” to circumvent enemy air defence systems.

Video footage released by the ISPR showed that the Taimoor ALCM was launched from a PAF Mirage 3 ROSE (Retrofit of Strike Element) aircraft, which had been the primary carrier of the PAF’s ALCMs (i.e., the Ra’ad) and stand-off weapon (SOW) systems (i.e., H-2 and H-4) until the mid-to-late-2010s.
Background on the Taimoor ALCM
The Taimoor ALCM is the conventional-use variant of the Ra’ad-II, developed by the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) and unveiled in 2017. Initially, the Taimoor was positioned primarily for the export market by Global Defence and Industrial Solutions (GIDS), the sales and marketing wing of NESCOM. However, in recent years, Pakistan has been working towards re-leveraging its cruise missiles, which had been limited to the strategic (i.e., nuclear) deployment role for conventional warfighting.

Like the Ra’ad-II, the Taimoor ALCM has a range of 600 km (capped to 280-290 km for export purposes) and features the same low-observable (LO) airframe. It has a length of 4.38 m, wingspan of 3.20 m, and a total weight of 1,100 kg to 1,200 kg. The Taimoor has a cruise speed of Mach 0.7 to Mach 0.8, and can be launched at altitudes ranging from 610 m to 7,620 m (i.e., 2,000 ft to 25,000 ft).

In effect, the Taimoor and Ra’ad-II are the same missile, but given different designations to demarcate their conventional and nuclear deployment roles, respectively.

This recent test was significant in its own right as it validated a new capability not previously seen in the Ra’ad-series, i.e., terminal-stage guidance through the new imaging infrared (IIR) seeker.

This IIR seeker is likely the same one GIDS had shown across different NESCOM solutions at the 2024 International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS 2024), from the Taimoor and Harbah cruise missiles to the in-development Rasoob 250 and AZB-81LR. Thus, this test was crucial, as it not only validated a current capability but also a key subsystem that will integrate with future solutions.
Pakistan’s Conventional Capability Push
The PAF’s induction of the Taimoor ALCM (i.e., re-leveraging the strategic Ra’ad/-II for the conventional role) reflects the Pakistani military’s wider push to spread guided strike capabilities beyond the traditional confines of strategic or nuclear deployment.

Historically, Pakistan’s guided munitions ecosystem skewed in two ways: First, it treated precision strike as a specialized mission area – e.g., anti-ship warfare (AShW) and selective attacks aimed at high-value targets (HVT). Second, the lack of industrial-scale production capacity meant that NESCOM’s solutions – e.g., the Ra’ad/II, Babur, etc – could only be built in small numbers. The constraint in missile output then meant that cruise missiles and ballistic missiles were, by default, treated as strategic deterrence assets, not high-tempo conventional warfighting systems.

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Ukraine War: Time For India To Rethink its Military Doctrine Modeled On Russia's?

Riaz Haq

Riaz Haq

Riaz Haq