Defence sector stocks continued their strong upward momentum on Friday, with companies across the aerospace, missile, and drone manufacturing space posting sharp gains, driven by heightened investor interest following India’s recent counter-terror operations.Leading the rally, shares of Paras Defence and Space Technologies soared 18.90 per cent, while Data Patterns surged 9.25 per cent, and Astra Microwave Products gained 7.10 per cent on the BSE, PTI reported.Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) climbed 5.40 per cent, Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) rose 4.63 per cent, Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) added 3.87 per cent, and Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) increased by 1.95 per cent.Among drone technology players, Droneacharya Aerial Innovations saw a 2 per cent uptick.The defence segment has been on a sustained rally, with stocks posting gains throughout the week — Monday through Friday — and in the previous trading week as well. The surge follows the launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7, an Indian military operation targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation was a response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 individuals.Despite the defence rally, broader markets ended lower. The 30-share BSE Sensex fell by 200.15 points or 0.24 per cent to close at 82,330.59, while the NSE Nifty declined by 42.30 points or 0.17 per cent to settle at 25,019.80.From the Sensex firms, Bharti Airtel, IndusInd Bank, State Bank of India, Infosys, Power Grid, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra and Mahindra & Mahindra were the major laggards. Eternal, NTPC, Adani Ports, Bajaj Finance and Bajaj Finserv were among the gainers.Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 5,392.94 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai’s SSE Composite index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng were trading lower while South Korea’s Kospi quoted in the positive territory.