Visitors to Mexico.

edit| Moshan spectator

Indian Air Force Commander Singh suddenly made a statement on Air Force Day on October 3, 2025, saying that during the "Operation Sindore" in May, they shot down 9 to 10 Pakistani fighter planes in one go and also destroyed radar stations, runways, and even early warning aircraft were shot down.

This "battle result" is loud, but when you look closely, it looks like a fairy tale that is getting more and more outrageous. There was no sound for five months after the war, and now such a series of "military exploits" suddenly broke out, which makes people wonder whether this is a war or a myth to domestic voters.

The ¡°God¡±: From Silence to ¡°Air Miracles¡±

Looking back at the entire process of "Operation Sindor", India had almost no public statement at the beginning. It was not until August that it was vaguely said that eight enemy aircraft were shot down. Now it is said that there are 9 to 10 aircraft, plus 4 radar stations, 2 runways and an early warning aircraft. The entire result is becoming more and more exaggerated, as if pursuing a perfect scenario of "taking all on the battlefield".

The problem is that these records do not have a single wreckage map, radar data, or third-party confirmation. Even in India, there are not many decent battlefield pictures.

This is not the first time that India "reported the outcome of the battle".The airstrike in Barakot in 2019 was the test of the car. The Indian side also said how it was hit, and the result was faced by satellite images, and there was no substantial target at all.

Now we have the same routine again, and the timing is chosen wisely-just in time for the final stage of the People's Party's "Victory Propaganda" campaign. It is difficult not to suspect this wave of operation. This is not a military report, but more like political public relations.

What's more interesting is that Pakistan just announced the shooting down of seven Indian warplanes at the United Nations General Assembly at the end of September, and India immediately followed up with "counterattack propaganda". Come and go, you come and go, it's not a military contest at all, but a head-on confrontation of public opinion wars.

Technological myths climb high, but real battlefields fall hard

Among India's results this time, there is a particularly eye-catching statement: the S-400 air defense system shot down Pakistan's early warning aircraft 300 kilometers away. At first glance, it sounds shocking, as if it really broke through some historical limit.

But the U.S. think tank directly pointed out that in this conflict, the S-400 and the CM-400 missiles could not stop, let alone the Pakistani flight high and fast J-10CE. in the satellite images also found no remains of the early warning aircraft, say, is not practical.

As for the high-priced French Army aircraft, the Indian Army was originally used as a card. As a result, it became the most destroyed aircraft on the battlefield. The Pakistani Army even released the number, coordinates and pilot communications records of the army's remains.

The French Ministry of Defense has expressed "high concern", which is already a very serious statement in the international military trade. but the Indian side is only lightly describing the "tactical mistake", and then rushed to focus on "destroying the F-16", the problem is that the US has long confirmed that the F-16 did not participate in the war at all.

Over the years, the Indian Air Force has been shouting "self-reliance". As a result, all its weapons are "universal brands". Russian-made and legal ones, American-made ones cannot be used, and Chinese-made ones cannot be defeated. The equipment was bought, but it would not be effective on the battlefield. No matter how advanced the Rafale fighter jets are, it depends on who will fly and how to use them. Technological advantages cannot transform combat effectiveness, and no matter how expensive the aircraft is, it is just a decoration.

The battle of public opinion is more lively than the air battle, but the truth is getting farther and farther away

From beginning to end, the most lively thing in this conflict was not the front line, but the shouts at the press conference. On the Pakistan side, a set of wreckage, data, and communication recordings were taken out, accompanied by coordinates and images, forming a complete chain of evidence. The United States also explicitly denied the loss of the F-16 and helped Pakistan clear of the accusation of "being shot down."

India's propaganda is like going according to the script. at the end of the war, first silence, then the domestic starts to wind, wait until the key political nodes to concentrate on "supplemental warfare".This Air Force Day high-profile announcement, in fact, is a well-designed political show, so that voters believe "we have won", propaganda to cover up the real loss.

This is not the first time that this ¡°victory science¡± appears.Every time the conflict with Pakistan, the Indian media has to make a massive boom, what ¡°surgical strike¡± ¡°precise revenge¡± sounds loud, in fact, the lack of basic facts behind support.How to play on the battlefield does not matter, the key is how to listen, which is the Indian military and government more concerned.

India¡¯s ¡°mythical project¡± under strategic anxiety

Since April, India has begun to build dams in upper Kashmir, suspending the Indian River Water Treaty, meaning clearly: to use water as a weapon as well.

The Modi government is also working on infrastructure, and the Jammu-Leh high-speed railway has been opened, turning Indian-controlled Kashmir into a "heavy pressure corridor." Coupled with the all-weather radar system, India's intention is obvious to turn this area into a long-term containment front line against Pakistan.

But no matter how beautifully the strategy is thought of, the execution is a mess. India's military industrial system is completely dependent on imports, and it cannot build a formed combat system by itself. It has been called "Made in India" for more than ten years, but so far it has not even come up with a domestically produced aircraft that can compete with the JF-17.

On the other hand, Pakistan, relying on cooperation with China, has integrated JF-17 Block3 and J-10CE into the "long-range strike + system defense" combat model, which is truly upgrading its combat effectiveness.

The attitude of the international community is also very subtle. China did not respond to whether the JF-17 was lost, the United States directly denied that the F-16 was shot down, and Russia remained silent. The British military magazine directly named India's battle report, which is more like an "information warfare script", and made it very clear: You said you won the battle, so you let us see the evidence? Without images, coordinates and data, who believes in such a "victory"?

Behind the myth is reality anxiety.

India¡¯s claim to have shot down 10 warplanes was not a military victory, but a political consolation.

The battlefield demonstrates international credibility, India faces a comprehensive crisis of trust. Domestic voters need a strong nation narrative, the military needs a ¡°technology-led¡± image, the government needs a ¡°strategic initiative¡± statement ¨C so this myth has been packed up on a layer.

But myths can't solve real problems. Equipment depends on imports, the strategy is out of balance, and the propaganda war is loud again, the enemy will not show mercy. Modern warfare is not won by mouth, but by hard evidence such as radar charts, wreckage charts, and flight records. The more India regards public opinion as a battlefield, the more it will suffer on the real battlefield.

And the real consequences of this conflict are far more than simply the aircraft was shot down. Water control, infrastructure delivery, international credibility are the key to determining the South Asian power pattern. The more Indian myth is spoken, the more reality feels.

conclusion

The story of "shooting down 10 aircraft" may temporarily boost emotions, but if no substantial changes can be made in combat power construction and strategic layout, then this "victory theory" will only become a strategic burden. Myths can be told, but at a high price. And the battlefield never lies.

Source of information:

India claimed to have "shot down 6 military aircraft", Pakistan responded that "there was no loss", and India and Pakistan debated the results of the "5.7" air battle-

2025-08-11 ¡¤ The World Times