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Global militaries to study India-Pakistan fighter jet dogfight

News Desk

May 09

A dogfight between Chinese-made Pakistani jets and French-made Indian Rafale fighters will be closely scrutinized by militaries seeking insights that could offer an edge in future conflicts, Reuters has reported.

 

The aerial clash is a rare opportunity for militaries to study the performance of pilots, fighter jets and air-to-air missiles in active combat, and use that knowledge to prepare their own air forces for battle.

 

Experts claim the live use of advanced weapons would be analyzed across the world, including in China and the United States (US), which are both preparing for a potential conflict over Taiwan or in the wider Indo-Pacific region.

 

“Air warfare communities in China, the U.S. and a number of European countries will be extremely interested to try and get as much ground truth as they can on tactics, techniques, procedures, what kit was used, what worked and what didn't,” said Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

 

“The PL-15 is a big problem. It is something that the U.S. military pays a lot of attention to,” a defense industry executive said.

 

A top Chinese-made Pakistani fighter plane shot down at least two Indian military aircraft on Wednesday, Reuters has reported, citing two U.S. officials.

 

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Director General Inter Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Pakistan shot down five Indian jets, including three Rafales, one Su-30 and one Mig-29. 

 

There was high confidence that Pakistan had used the Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against Indian fighter jets, bringing down at least two, Reuters said while citing one U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

 

Another official said that at least one Indian jet that was shot down was a French-made Rafale fighter aircraft.

 

Citing US officials, Reuters reported that Pakistan’s F-16 aircraft, made by Lockheed Martin, were not used in the shootdown.

 

The Rafale and the model of the J-10 used by Pakistan are both considered generation 4.5 fighter jets, placing them at the leading edge of combat aircraft.

 

Earlier, a senior French intelligence official confirmed to CNN that one Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale fighter jet was shot down by Pakistan, marking what could be the first known combat loss of the French-made aircraft.

 

French authorities are now investigating whether additional Rafale aircraft were also brought down during the overnight military exchange. “We are aware of the loss of one Rafale and are examining reports suggesting more could have been downed,” CNN quoted a French official as saying.

 

India's most reputable English newspaper, The Hindu, had earlier in its post on X (formerly Twitter) confirmed that three Indian fighter jets were shot down by the PAF. However, it shortly removed the post from its social site, saying that it had not received official confirmation from the Indian government. 

 

Meanwhile, BBC Verify reported on Thursday night that it authenticated three videos, purportedly showing the wreckage of a French-manufactured Rafale fighter, which is used by the IAF.

 

“In one clip, geolocated by BBC Verify to a field near the city of Bathinda in India's Punjab state, troops can be seen collecting debris from the crashed jet,” it said.

 

The outlet further reported that it has also located two further clips from the same location filmed at night. “One shows debris in the field, while another shows a projectile catching fire in the sky and then fire in an open field,” it added.

 

The outlet quoted a former British Army Officer, Justin Crump, who runs the risk intelligence company Sibylline, as saying, “The wreckage appears to be a French air-to-air missile of a type used on both Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighter jets.”

 

“Another image circulating on social media shows a tail fin with 'BS001' and 'Rafale' inscribed on it. Google reverse image searches don’t show any old versions of the image,” the outlet concluded.

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