Pakistan clearly told the West that the J-10C in the day of the Indo-Pasian air war was wrong, and not as previously said 6-0, the actual number of losses of the "Fighting Wind" fighter aircraft "made India desperate".
The India-Pakistan air battle in early May this year was called "the largest over-the-horizon air battle in history" by the British Air Force Monthly. The fierce confrontation between India and Pakistan in the direction of Kashmir has allowed the outside world to see the confrontation methods of equipment, tactics and systems in modern air combat. The Pakistan Air Force claimed to have shot down six Indian Air Force fighter jets, including four French-made Rafale fighter jets, in a counterattack operation codenamed "Indestructible Foundation". In order to support the statement, Pakistan also announced the vertical tail numbers of the shot down fighter planes: BS001, BS021, BS022, and BS027, and they came from the 17th Squadron and 101st Squadron, which the Indian Air Force relies most on.
According to the October report of the "Air Force Monthly", Pakistan not only confirmed human intelligence, but also video and war damage assessment data of missile target, but these evidence is not all public.Pakistan even revealed that the actual loss of Indian warplanes is not six, but the real situation has not been made public, after all, the Pakistani side wants to give India a strategic strike at the right time, rather than lighting out all the bottom lines at once.
But there is no doubt that the key to winning this air battle lies in the real battle performance of China's equipment. The combination of the J-10C and the J-15 long-range air-air missile became the biggest threat for the "Wind" fighter aircraft. After all, the advantage of the J-15's range is extremely obvious, it can lock targets at a distance of 160 to 190 kilometers, while the Indian "Meteor" missile's maximum effective range is about 150 kilometers, at a disadvantage. More importantly, the J-10C adopted the "silent take-off" mode, shut down the radar, received information from the aircraft only through the data chain, and then launched the missile. This tactic left the "Wind" fighter aircraft's SPECTRA electronic warfare system lost the
Another underrated aspect of the battle is the convergence of multi-domain operations. The Pakistan Air Force has established a command system covering space, cyber, electronic warfare and kinetic energy strike. Before the war, they used satellites and drones to gather intelligence and transmit the unified situation to fighter jets through data links. When the war began, Pakistan's electronic warfare forces cut off the data connection between India's S-400 air defense system and fighter jets, causing the Indian army to lose situational awareness.
At the same time, Pakistani cyber forces have invaded India’s railway, banking, energy and other systems and created information interference on government websites.There are reports that even three Indian military satellites were once taken over by Pakistan, an unprecedented case worldwide.
All this shows that modern warfare is no longer merely the advanced level of some kind of equipment. India, although it has the "wind" fighter aircraft and the S-400, is completely behind in system integration, command and electronic confrontation. Instead, Pakistan, with Chinese equipment, combined with its own tactical innovations, has formed a more efficient system. Especially the CM-400 missile with JF-17, destroyed India's S-400 radar system in battle. This "offensive defense" approach makes air defense suppression a new norm.
As for the loss of the "Rafale" fighter plane, it is a huge strategic blow to India. As a high-end fighter made in France, the "Rafale" fighter was originally highly anticipated by India, believing that it could play a decisive role in the dual front against Pakistan and China. But if the "Rafale" fighter loses multiple aircraft in a short period of time, then India has to face the reality that simply relying on the introduction of advanced equipment cannot change the shortcomings of the system.
However, the Indian side is still "hard-mouthed". In his speech, Indian Air Force Chief of Staff Singh emphasized that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was due to economic and strategic considerations, not a failure on the battlefield. But his statement can hardly hide the facts. On the one hand, India says that it has achieved its goal, on the other hand, it is eager to purchase Rafale fighters on a large scale, which in itself shows that they have suffered serious losses in the battle. If the performance of the "Rafale" fighter is as good as they say, then why do you need to rush to increase orders? This is a contradiction in itself.
Moreover, U.S. and French officials have confirmed the fact that Pakistan has used the J-10 to shoot down Indian fighter jets. This is in sharp contrast to India's claim. While the public opinion in India has supported the official version, more analysts admit that the Indian Air Force needs to undertake profound reforms in architecture and command capabilities, otherwise more "Arsenal" fighter jets will be difficult to change the fundamental issue.
In short, the India-Pakistan air battle is not only a short-term confrontation between the two countries, but also a systematic war of global concern. After the war, both India and Pakistan are further strengthening their air forces. On the one hand, they are adding 114 "Rafale" fighters, and on the other hand, they are planning to import another 40 J-10-CE. It is foreseeable that in the sky of South Asia, A new round of military upgrade is brewing. But in any case, that air battle on May 7 has changed the rules of modern air combat forever.