Preliminary
The conflict in India-Pakistan in May 2025 has become the focus of international military observers’ attention, among which the disastrous defeat of the Indian Air Force is even more notable.
The famous British aviation magazine "Air Force Monthly", which is due to be released on September 18, with the cover theme of "Indo-Pakistan Air War" will publish an in-depth analysis article, revealing the real veil of this air comparable amount.
Pre-heating information and related reports by Air Force Monthly editor Alan Warns show that the losses suffered by the Indian Air Force in this air battle are far beyond imagination, and its entire operational system is systematically destroyed by the Pakistani Air Force.
Warns, a senior military aviation journalist known for his in-depth reporting, travelled to Pakistan in July, interviewed the J10C pilot of the Pakistani Air Force live and shared his insights on his personal X account.
According to Warns, the Pakistani Air Force carried out devastating strikes on the Indian Air Force’s “killing chain” between May 5 and 10.
The satellite downlink was cut off, making India unable to access real-time intelligence.The radar system suffered electronic interference and early warning failed.
The GPS signal is completely blocked, making accurate guidance weapons inaccurate.This paralysis of the entire chain has caused the Indian Air Force to be "blind" on the battlefield, unable to effectively lock targets or coordinate actions.
In terms of aircraft losses, the Pakistan Air Force claimed to have shot down four Indian Rafale fighter jets, which was an unbearable blow for India.
Warns also stressed that the Indian Air Force "is fortunate to have lost only four Armor fighters," suggesting that the actual losses of India may be far more than that.
As the advanced multi-purpose fighter aircraft introduced by India, the supply price is high and the quantity is limited, and should have occupied an advantage in the air warfare, but it appears to be vulnerable to the J10C, Thunder 3 and F16C airliners of the Pakistani Air Force.
From the specific course of the air war, the "5.7 air battle" took place between the night of May 6 and the early morning of May 7, with a total of 114 military aircraft deployed by the two sides, which is one of the largest air campaigns in the century.
The Indian Air Force has deployed 72 military aircraft, 64 of which are fighter aircraft, divided into eight attack squadrons, consisting of Su-30MKI, Armageddon, MiG-29 and Fantasy 2000.
The Pakistan Air Force has invested 42 fighter jets. The core strength is the J-10CE and JF-17 "Fierce Dragon" Block 3 equipped with Thunderbolt-10E short-range bombs and Thunderbolt-15E medium-range air-to-air bombs. Some of them are equipped with AIM-120C medium-range bombs. The US-made F-16 Block 52 fighter jets operate together in the rear.
This large-scale air battle lasted only 52 minutes before the winner was decided. With its mature air combat system and efficient electronic warfare capabilities, the Pakistan Air Force has completely lost its advantage on India's "Rafale" fighter jets.
India's "Luftwaffe" carried the European "Meteor" MK1 missile, with a maximum range of only 150 kilometers, while Pakistan's Uranium-15E missile uses a source phase-controlled radar guided traction and a two-pulse solid rocket engine, with a range of up to 190 kilometers or 200 kilometers, regardless of the range or speed of the "Meteor" MK1 missile.
In the air war, no "Methane" MK1 missile hit the Sino-Pakistani Air Force fighter aircraft, and the Indian Air Force pilots only perceived the danger until-15E was only 3 seconds away from the fighter aircraft, at this time it has been impossible to avoid.
The Pakistan Air Force also used the "golden partner" of the JF-17 "Fierce Dragon" Block 3 fighter jet and the CM-400AKG air-to-surface missile to accurately destroy the 91N6E early warning radar and 96L6E full-altitude radar of the Russian-made S-400 system equipped by India.
After the failure of these two radars, the S-400 seemed to have lost its "eyes" and directly lost its combat capability. Although India firmly claims that its S-400 has "no loss", it has never been able to provide evidence to support it, and its attitude is pale and weak.
On a strategic level, the Pakistani Air Force’s operations demonstrate its maturity in electronic warfare and multi-engine synergies, while the Indian Air Force is classified as a “paper talk soldier.”
Although the Indian Air Force has dispatched a large number of aircraft, the data links of the fighter jets are not connected to each other, and they need to go through complicated transfer procedures between early warning aircraft and ground command posts, which is huge and clumsy.
The Pakistani Air Force, although the number of aircraft is twice as small as India, but the system is complete, in the air there is early warning aircraft command, electronic warplanes cover, multi-directional action group covering the real main attack fleet, and the goal is clear, is to shoot down the Indian fighter aircraft.
Warren’s report has also sparked some controversy, with Indian media accusing him of receiving “sponsorship” from the Pakistani Air Force for up to £34,000 for writing propaganda articles.
However, as a senior editor of Air Force Monthly, Vaughns' previous reports are known for their professionalism, and his report on the India-Pakistan air battle also provided a lot of details and evidence.
In any case, the publication of the magazine will provide an analysis of the Indian-Pakistan air warfare from a Western perspective, with a high reference value for military enthusiasts.
This Indo-Pakistan air struggle shows us the cruelty of the high-tech war, where the Indian Air Force lost not only a few aircraft, but, more importantly, the collapse of its entire combat system.
In modern warfare, the weakness of any link can lead to the failure of the entire battle scene.
The Indian military needs to carefully draw lessons from the air war and re-evaluate its military strategy and equipment development, otherwise it could suffer even greater losses in future conflicts.