Guardians of the Sky: Unfolded Chronicles Air Defence Evolution
Cover Image Unfolded, Pankaj P. Singh, and PM Narendra Modi with Air Force personnel!
From WWII battles to Operation Sindoor, Pankaj P. Singh’s detailed narrative celebrates India’s sky sentinels and global lessons in restraint
By MANISH ANAND
NEW DELHI, July 5, 2025 — The universe is not empty – it’s dark because it’s dangerous. This chilling observation from Liu Cixin’s Three-Body Problem sets the philosophical undertone for Pankaj P. Singh’s compelling new book, Unfolded: India’s Air Defence from WWII to Operation Sindoor. In 233 pages across 38 chapters, Singh unspools a gripping chronicle of India’s journey to building an increasingly sophisticated air defence system — forged in the fires of war, loss, and extraordinary resilience.
Singh begins with the forgotten frontlines of World War II — tracing the origins of India’s air defence to unsung heroes like Havildar Sham Lal and Gunner Balbir Singh, members of the 1st Indian Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment. From defending Assam’s oilfields to braving Japanese bombings in Singapore’s Tengah Airbase during the Malayan Campaign of 1941, Singh brings these sky warriors to life with evocative detail. The fall of Singapore in 1942 was not just a strategic defeat, but a tragic coda for the regiment — over 320 soldiers perished or died in Japanese captivity, their story buried with them.
Calcutta’s aerial bombardment (1942–1944), the post-Partition weakening of India’s air defence network, and the puzzling absence of air power in the 1962 war with China are addressed candidly. Singh asks why radar capabilities were so deficient and explores how strategic gaps were eventually filled.
By the 1965 War, however, Indian air defence had found its footing. Singh recounts the dramatic downing of 25 Pakistani aircraft, the introduction of Bofors 40mm L/70 guns, and the turning point that was the 1971 Indo-Pak War, which cemented India’s resolve to invest in layered air defence.
A central figure in India’s defence story, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, enters in the later chapters, ushering in the era of missile-based multi-layered systems. From Akash to Barak, Singh details the growing complexity and strength of India’s arsenal — culminating in the recent success of Operation Sindoor, where Pakistani drones and missiles were intercepted with precision.
Yet Singh is not content with mere celebration. He weighs in on costs, the need for modernization, and the relevance of global benchmarks like Israel’s Iron Dome and the US’s proposed Golden Dome. The book doesn’t shy away from geopolitics either, extending its scope to chilling moments of Cold War brinkmanship.
One of the most riveting chapters brings to life the night of September 26, 1983, when Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov, stationed deep inside a Soviet bunker, chose not to launch a nuclear counterstrike despite missile alerts flashing across his screen. Singh reconstructs the moment with cinematic tension. “Petrov saved the world — not with a missile, but with a refusal,” he writes, echoing the silent heroism that parallels the story of India’s own sentinels.
In Unfolded, Singh crafts not just a military history, but a meditation on vigilance, judgment, and sacrifice. He masterfully connects the dots between technological evolution, battlefield heroism, and the fragile decisions that shape peace and war in the skies above us.
This is more than a chronicle of air defence — it’s a powerful tribute to those who protect without being seen, and a timely reminder that, sometimes, refusal to fire is the bravest act of all.
Published by The Browser, the book adds to the expanding treasure of military literature brought out by the Chandigarh-based publisher under its Fauji Days series. The book hits the stands timely, for there is no verdict yet on the superiority of air defence system against a large missile attack as seen in the just concluded Israel-Iran War.
Follow The Raisina Hills on WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn
About The Author
