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Pakistan Air Force (PAF) pilots flying Chinese-made J10C fighter jets shot down at least two Indian Air Force's French-made Rafale jets in history's largest ever aerial battle involving over 100 combat aircraft on both sides, according to multiple media reports. India had 72 warplanes on the attack and Pakistan responded with 42 of its own, according to Pakistani military. The Indian government has not yet acknowledged its losses but senior French and US intelligence officials have confirmed that at least one Indian Rafale jet was shot down by Pakistan on May 7, 2025. Reports of more Rafale downings are being investigated by western intelligence officials. This marks the first time that the sophisticated French-made warplane has been lost in combat.
Rafale is the most advanced French 4.5 generation fighter plane. Indian Prime Minister Narendra spoke about India's need for Rafale back in 2019 after the last IAF-PAF dogfight and said: "We (Indians) acutely felt the absence of Rafale today.....if we had Rafale today the results would have been very different....desh ka bahut nuksaan hua hai" Then Mr. Modi proceeded to spend $7.4 billion to purchase 26 Rafale fighter jets from France in the hope of achieving air superiority over Pakistan. Each Rafale cost Indian taxpayers $288 million.
Military aviation analysts conclude from the results of the air battle that the Chinese technology is as good, if not better than, the western technology. However, men count as much, if not more than, the machines. The legendary US Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager called Pakistan Air Force pilots "the best in the world". In another tweet in 2015, Yeager said "they (PAF pilots) kicked the Indians butt".
In the 1980s, the Pakistan Air Force pilots went head-to-head with Russian combat pilots in Afghanistan. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has the distinction of being the only air force that has engaged and shot down multiple Russian fighter pilots in combat since WWII. The most prominent among those shot down by PAF was Colonel Alexander Rutskoy who ejected over Pakistani soil and was captured by Pakistan. After his release, Rutskoy was decorated as a hero of the Soviet Union and went onto become vice president of Russia under Boris Yeltsin, before leading an attempted coup in 1993, according to The National Interest publication.
The aerial battle between Pakistani and Indian fighter jets, which Pakistani officials claim downed five Indian planes, was one of the “largest and longest in recent aviation history,” a senior Pakistani security source told CNN. Over 100 combat planes battled for over an hour, with neither side leaving its own airspace, according to the CNN source who detailed that the missile exchanges were happening at distances sometimes greater than 160 kilometers (100 miles). The entire air battle was conducted using BVR (beyond visual range) radars/sensors with stand-off weapons.
Global militaries and defense analysts are now studying the India-Pakistan aerial battle on May 7, 2025, according to Reuters. Here's an excerpt of the Reuters' report:
"Experts said the live use of advanced weapons would be analyzed across the world, including in China and the United States which are both preparing for a potential conflict over Taiwan or in the wider Indo-Pacific region. One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters there was high confidence that Pakistan had used the Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against Indian fighter jets".
Here's Prime Minister Modi Speaking of India's Acute Need For Rafale in 2016:
https://youtu.be/QIt0EAAr3PU?si=KpcJW60jvD9r0xeQ
http://www.youtube.com/embed/QIt0EAAr3PU?si=KpcJW60jvD9r0xeQ"; title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>" height="315" src="https://img1.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" width="560" style="cursor: move; background-color: #b2b2b2;" />
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India and France Are At Each Other’s Throats Over the Dassault Rafale Fighter - The National Interest
By Brandon Weichert
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/india-and-france-are-at-each...
As for the Parliamentary Committee, they indicated that the pilot-to-seat ratio of 1.25:1 for fighter aircraft was insufficient for “high-intensity operations” of the kind that defined India’s four-day war with neighboring Pakistan. The IAF then possessed a meager 31 fighter squadrons, when the country’s air doctrine called for a minimum of 42. The IAF then failed to phase out older aircraft and bring in new ones in a timely manner, further degrading its defense readiness.
Clearly, the French auditors are aware of these issues. They were well documented, but ultimately went unaddressed for a decade before the war erupted earlier this month. Nothing the Indian government did to resolve their aircraft and pilot shortages worked.
So, the question then becomes: why did those Rafales get shot down by Chinese-built Pakistani Air Force (PAF) warplanes and their Chinese-made PL-15 air-to-air missiles? Was it because the Indians bought overestimated French weapons and platforms, or was it simply because the Indian military was poorly prepared for the fight at hand?
Of course, the crisis within the IAF cannot by itself explain the excellent performance of Pakistani PL-15 missiles against what were supposedly India’s superior air capabilities. In other words, despite whatever readiness issues there were with the IAF, they cannot camouflage the problems with the French weapons and warplanes that India was using against Pakistan.
Nor should anyone dismiss the very real strides the Chinese have made in terms of producing systems that are on par with, or perhaps even better in some cases, than the expensive and complex Western systems.
Why Won’t Dassault Share Its Source Code with India?
Meanwhile, the Indians are sharing their displeasure with Dassault, the French maker of the Rafale warplane, publicly. One of India’s biggest gripes against Dassault is that the French firm has persistently refused to share the source code for their Rafales with the IAF, despite India’s position as a longtime client.
While some may assume that this is simply to protect Dassault’s valuable intellectual property, the fact remains that the Indians need access to the source code to ensure seamless maintenance over the avionics suite, the complex mission systems, and to maintain key weapons integration. Failure to hand that over to the IAF by Dassault is needlessly complicating basic operations for an IAF that has already proven itself to be unprepared for high-intensity conflict.
Why is Dassault dragging its heels? Is it because the company fears IP theft? Or is it really because it is worried India might see how badly it was bilked by another Western defense contractor that overcharges, over-promises, and under-delivers?
The Chinese have been having great fun with these stories on social media. After all, why shouldn’t they? Chinese weapons and warplanes outperformed expectations in the war. When news about the inability of India to access Dassault’s source code broke—at roughly the same time India captured an intact Chinese PL-15 missile—one of Beijing’s so-called “wolf warrior” diplomats took to X to mock New Delhi: “India spent $288 million per Rafale, and they don’t even have access to the source code. These Indians also claim they can ‘extract the software’ from the burnt out wreckage of a PL-15 missile. Yet, they can’t even access the core functions of their own Rafale jets?”
While obnoxious, this was a fair question raised by the Chinese account. It highlights the gap between the propaganda surrounding the military supremacy of India and the reality that, while New Delhi certainly has significant capabilities, the application of those capabilities does not comport with the radical claims made by their supporters.
The recent battle between Pakistani and Indian forces ended in an unambiguous victory for Pakistan.
By Brandon J. Weichert
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-chinese-missiles-routed-...
While obnoxious, this was a fair question raised by the Chinese account. It highlights the gap between the propaganda surrounding the military supremacy of India and the reality that, while New Delhi certainly has significant capabilities, the application of those capabilities does not comport with the radical claims made by their supporters.
India Needs to Rethink Its Armed Forces
The bottom line is this: for whatever reason one prefers, India was unprepared for the high-intensity of the war with Pakistan at the start. That is why New Delhi rapidly escalated the conflict in a bid to outpace the Pakistanis.
Ultimately, India likely bought the wrong platforms from Western defense contractors who overcharged and underdelivered. While France and India will continue to point fingers at one another, they ultimately share the blame for the obvious failures at the start of the war. India in particular must change course while time remains.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Tejasswi Prakash
@Tiju0Prakash
Utterly shameful statement
BJP MLA from Udhampur East, RS Pathania calls INDIAN AIRFORCE, "NALAYAK"/ "WORTHLESS" & and said they were caught sleeping when Pakistan attacked Udhampur airbase.
https://x.com/Tiju0Prakash/status/1928026348095738338
Sushant Singh
@SushantSin
As per CDS's (Chief of Defense Staff Gen Anil Chauhan's) interview to Bloomberg, the IAF didn't fly for two days after the losses on the 7th night. Whether he refers only to Rafale isn't clear.
“we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and flew all our jets again, targeting at long range”
https://x.com/SushantSin/status/1928737490740859039
Pravin Sawhney
@PravinSawhney
What this fellow Anil Chauhan is saying is that for two days IAF fleet was grounded. This is enough reason for him to resign - making light of a serious matter.
When for two days out of four, the IAF (which will be the key determinant of war outcome) is not in the air, it needs some guts to say that India did well in #OperationSindoor!
https://x.com/PravinSawhney/status/1929004953353466183
Pakistan to start inducting FC-31 fighters
By Farhan Bokhari | 04 June 2025
https://www.janes.com/osint-insights/defence-news/air/pakistan-to-s...
China is set to start supplying the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) with its Shenyang FC-31 ‘Gyrfalcon' multirole stealth fighter aircraft, a senior Pakistani government official has told Janes.
The FC-31 aircraft “will begin arriving within months”, the official said recently, while also confirming that PAF pilots are in China undergoing training to fly the aircraft. The official did not disclose any terms of the deal, including the date it was signed.
In May another Pakistan government official told Janes that the procured FC-31 will be equipped with China's PL-17 air-to-air missile (AAM), which has a range of about 400 km.
Pakistani officials have not confirmed the number of platforms to be supplied to the PAF, although Janes has previously reported that the PAF was in talks to acquire 30–40 aircraft.
The FC-31 is likely to become the first major Chinese military platform to be inducted by Pakistan following the end of its 7–10 May conflict with India.
Baqir Sajjad
@baqirsajjad
PAF has formally credited its Cobras (15th Squadron) for downing 6 IAF jets in 5/7 showdown. J-10Cs assigned to squadron brought down Rafales with help of PL15s exposing Indian "game-changers" as myths. Cobras asserted Pakistan's skies, Pakistan's rules.
https://x.com/baqirsajjad/status/1930852548358844685
-------------
Air force credits Cobras with ‘six IAF kills’
https://www.dawn.com/news/1915722/air-force-credits-cobras-with-six...
ISLAMABAD: Just past midnight on May 7, a low hum of tension filled the Combat Operations Centre at Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Headquarters in Islamabad.
On radar screens, dozens of Indian Air Force (IAF) fighters began clustering to the north, maneuvering with unmistakable intent.
Within minutes, Pakistan’s skies were alive with scrambling fighter jets — including the most recently inducted J-10C aircraft, flown by one of its most storied units: No. 15 Squadron, the “Cobras.”
Nearly a month later, the PAF formally acknowledged what many had speculated — that it was the Kamra-based 15 Squadron that led the charge in shooting down six Indian Air Force (IAF) jets during what’s now considered one of the largest air-to-air engagement in South Asia in more than half a century.
Eighteen of the squadron’s 20 J-10C aircraft took part in the mission, executing a high-risk intercept against a large-scale Indian formation as part of Pakistan’s defensive response.
In a post released by the PAF’s media directorate, the Cobras were hailed for their legacy and professionalism: “From heroic air battles in the 1965 war, where Flt Lt Imtiaz Bhatti downed two Indian Vampires, to Cold War-era vigilance during the Soviet-Afghan War, the squadron has always remained combat-ready… Now equipped with J-10C 4.5+ generation fighters, the Cobras continue to embody precision, courage, and aerial dominance.”
The May 7 confrontation — triggered by India’s launch of Operation Sindoor following a deadly attack in Pahalgam — saw more than 120 aircraft take to the skies from both sides.
According to the Pakistani military’s official account, the six Indian aircraft downed included three Rafales, a MiG-29, a Mirage-2000, and a Su-30MKI — all hit by PL-15 BVR missiles fired from PAF J-10C fighters. Each launch was executed by pilots from the 15 Squadron, who are expected to be publicly named and decorated at a formal ceremony later this month.
A senior PAF official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed: “The pilots involved in the operation will be honoured soon. These are some of the finest aviators in our ranks — and their performance speaks for itself”.
The engagement, insiders say, was the result of a calculated bait-and-counter strategy. With credible intelligence of an impending Indian incursion, the PAF deployed four defensive counter-air formations and monitored over 60 Indian aircraft using its electromagnetic spectrum management systems.
“We fought the battle on our terms,” the official added. “Our kill chain was fully active. When the command shifted, while aircraft were airborne, from ‘Deter’ to ‘Assure Kill, Deny Own Loss,’ the Cobras carried out their mission with precision and control.”
Among the targets prioritised were the Rafales — the pride of the IAF since their induction in 2019. “The Indians expected the Rafales to be game chan-gers,” the official said. “So we made them our first target.”
The Indian response was initially evasive. On May 11, IAF Director General of Air Operations, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, downplayed the situation, merely stating that “losses are a part of combat” and insisting all pilots had returned safely.
But the facade cracked during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 31, when India’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Anil Chauhan, was compelled to admit the losses, attributing them to “tactical errors.”
The admission triggered a storm of criticism back home. In a bid to contain the fallout, Gen Chauhan resorted to baffling cricket metaphors to explain away the embarrassment.
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