Unlike USA, we don't need to follow a single drone flight "rule". We can send multiple drones at high altitude to carry more munitions? Can a drone carry thermobaric bombs?
I still think the drones pack a woefully small "punch". A single MKI could carry as many munitions as maybe 8-10 UAVs.
Until UCAVs come online (not for another 8 years at least I'd say) the fighters still present the best option for this kind of mission.
+ with the ability to launch stand off munitions and with POK terror camps so close to the LoC there shouldn't be much of a risk to the fighters.
Alas. Forget about foreign land, they don't even have the balls to make things happen in this very country. My hopes were high when they talked about pandit rehab and sainik colonies in kashmir. That too is rolled back now. Why? Just because a couple of separatist leaders protested against it? This is BS.
Poltics (predictably) got in the way- the BJP put its power-seeking ahead of the nation and look at the results.
OK. Given this scenario, which commando force do you guys think is perfect? Para / MARCOS / Garud?
PARA (SF) all day long. This is what these guys do on a daily basis.
Yes MARCOs are also deployed in JK and conduct regular Ops agaisnt the piggies but it is nowhere near on the same scale as the PARA (SF).
Garuds are still relatively untested BUT the PARA (SF) may want to take a few of them for the mission to act as FAC for the fast air softening up the targets and acting as "top cover".
+ Special Group (made up of PARA (SF) and MARCOs) might be worth considering but this sort of missions doesn't really fit within their mandate.
THIS is why India DESPERATLY needs the SOCOM to build on the respective strengths of the various SF units/teams and to have an institutional framework for these sorts of things instead of a the current peicemeal arrangment where missions are handed out to units based on their deployment pattern and not their inherent merit to conduct such a mission. But the MoD/GoI is STILL sat on the proposal almost a decade after it was first proposed, with "leaders" like these, who needs enemies, right?