“The PL-15E wreckage confirms the missile’s deployment by the Pakistan Air Force,” a senior Indian defence official asserted, further implicating the Chinese-export BVR missile in the reported downing attempt of five Indian combat aircraft—including three French-origin Rafales.
(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – In a show of force and forensic rebuttal, the Indian Armed Forces on Monday publicly displayed wreckage of advanced Chinese and Turkish weapon systems allegedly used by Pakistan in one of the most volatile aerial escalations in South Asia since the Kargil conflict.
The Indian military showcased fragments of the Chinese-made PL-15E Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, reportedly launched by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter jets during a recent cross-border engagement under what India terms as “Operation Sindoor.”
Alongside the missile remains, Indian defence officials also presented charred debris of Turkish-manufactured armed drones, including Songar and systems referenced as “YIHA,” intercepted and destroyed by Indian air defence units in the western theatre.
Top-ranking officers from the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force convened for a second consecutive day to highlight what they described as a coordinated, multi-domain defensive success across air and electronic warfare spectrums against Pakistani aggression.
“The PL-15E wreckage confirms the missile’s deployment by the Pakistan Air Force,” a senior Indian defence official asserted, further implicating the Chinese-export BVR missile in the reported downing attempt of five Indian combat aircraft—including three French-origin Rafales.
The Indian Air Force has not yet officially acknowledged the loss of any aircraft, though Pakistani sources have consistently claimed it successfully downed Rafale jets alongside a MiG-29 and a Su-30MKI in a high-stakes aerial ambush.
Despite growing discovery of Rafale’s wreckage , New Delhi has withheld formal confirmation, citing ongoing internal assessments and strategic ambiguity.
PL-15
India’s Director General of Air Operations, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, doubled down on the robustness of India’s indigenous air defence architecture, specifically highlighting the Akash SAM system’s critical role in intercepting hostile threats.
“Our battle-proven systems stood the test of time,” Bharti stated, underscoring the importance of sustained government funding and policy momentum in reinforcing domestic defensive capabilities.
He further remarked that the presence of PL-15E missile fragments within Indian territory indicates the missile likely failed to strike its intended target, contradicting Pakistan’s assertions of successful hits.
“You can see the remnants of the PL-15E missile on screen,” he said, adding that Indian air defences successfully intercepted the inbound projectile before it could inflict damage.
Nevertheless, Air Marshal Bharti refrained from specifying what exact target the PL-15E had been aimed at, leaving analysts to speculate whether the missile was directed at critical airbases, airborne assets, or radar installations.
Earlier, Pakistan openly admitted to fielding the PL-15E, an export-grade variant of China’s most advanced air-to-air missile, marking the system’s combat debut in a theatre where both sides are increasingly embracing fifth-generation doctrine.
Developed by AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China), the PL-15 series represents Beijing’s cutting-edge approach to air dominance, rivaling the American AIM-120D and European Meteor in both range and terminal guidance sophistication.
While the domestic PL-15 variant boasts an estimated engagement range of up to 300 km, the PL-15E variant exported to Pakistan is reportedly limited to approximately 145 km, in accordance with Chinese export control policies and MTCR considerations.
The missile employs a dual-pulse solid-fuel rocket motor, enabling sustained high-speed propulsion during both boost and terminal phases—critical for engaging manoeuvrable targets at extended ranges.
Its active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar seeker allows for autonomous terminal homing with a high probability of kill (Pk) even in contested electromagnetic environments, a feature that significantly raises the survivability of modern intercepts.
Incorporating a two-way datalink, the PL-15 can receive real-time in-flight updates from the launch aircraft or AEW&C platforms, enhancing its capacity to adjust trajectory based on evolving battlefield dynamics.
Measuring around 4 meters in length, weighing roughly 200 kg, and capable of reaching speeds near Mach 4, the PL-15 is considered one of the most capable BVR air-to-air missiles in active service, capable of threatening both fourth and fifth-generation fighters.
PL-15
Bharti also revealed that Pakistan deployed multiple swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), likely intended to overwhelm Indian air defence nodes and electronic warfare arrays.
“Numerous waves of drones and unmanned combat aerial vehicles employed by Pakistan were also thwarted by the indigenously developed soft and hard kill counter-UAS systems and the well-trained Indian Air Defence personnel,” he said.
The Directorate General of Military Operations (DGMO) further displayed drone wreckage, including the remains of Turkish-made Songar UAVs, underscoring their elimination as part of India’s active drone-neutralization framework.
The Songar drone, developed by Turkish defence firm ASISGUARD, is an armed octocopter platform capable of both reconnaissance and direct-fire missions, and has been in service with the Turkish Armed Forces since 2020.
Featuring eight rotors and a carbon-fibre chassis, Songar is optimized for low-altitude tactical deployment and supports autonomous navigation, GPS-denied return protocols, and real-time re-tasking.
It has a combat range of up to 5 km and can operate at altitudes of 3,000 meters, with modular payload options that include 5.56 mm NATO machine guns (200 rounds), 40mm grenade launchers, 81mm mortars, and mini laser-guided munitions.
Turkish-made Songar drone used by Pakistan’s Army
In May 2025, as part of a significant cross-border escalation, Pakistan reportedly launched between 300 to 400 Songar and other UAVs across 36 Indian locations, marking one of the largest coordinated drone strikes in the region’s history.
The incident highlights the growing integration of drone warfare and swarm tactics in modern combat, as well as the pressing need for resilient and layered anti-UAS systems in heavily contested airspaces.
As the region grapples with rising hostilities, India’s display of debris, data, and digital forensics is part of a broader information campaign aimed at countering Pakistani narratives and reinforcing domestic confidence in India’s ability to maintain air superiority under fire.
