Sky War Erupts: India and Pakistan Engage in Record-Breaking Aerial Showdown – CNN

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(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – In what is now being described as the largest air-to-air engagement in South Asian history, an unprecedented dogfight involving 125 combat aircraft from both India and Pakistan erupted two days ago amid soaring tensions.

Despite remaining within their respective airspaces, Indian and Pakistani fighter jets reportedly exchanged long-range missile fire in a historic beyond-visual-range (BVR) confrontation that may reshape the regional balance of airpower.

According to CNN, quoting Pakistani security sources, the jets fired at each other from a staggering range of 160 kilometres, highlighting the growing lethality of long-range air combat systems in the subcontinent.

Both air forces reportedly relied on Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar suites and advanced BVR missile platforms during the engagement, marking a significant escalation in the sophistication of regional aerial warfare.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar claimed that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) faced a swarm of between 75 to 80 Indian fighter jets during the encounter, an engagement that dwarfs previous skirmishes since the 2019 Balakot standoff.

“And we successfully shot down five of those Indian fighter jets,” he declared, adding fuel to a highly volatile narrative of air dominance.

Backing the minister’s remarks, Pakistani military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif stated, “You (India) came two nights ago at a time of your choosing with full air defence coverage, but still lost five fighters.”

“If you were truly effective, those five aircraft — including Rafales — wouldn’t have fallen,” he continued in a striking critique of Indian air combat capabilities.

The aircraft allegedly downed include three Rafale multirole fighters produced by Dassault Aviation, one Sukhoi Su-30MKI, and one Mirage 2000 — all key assets within the Indian Air Force (IAF) arsenal.

The Rafale, a cornerstone of India’s $8.7 billion procurement deal with France, entered IAF service in 2020 and has been widely touted as a game-changing platform capable of delivering nuclear weapons and executing deep-strike missions across hostile terrain.

In a significant geopolitical twist, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister claimed that all five IAF aircraft were downed by PLAAF-supplied J-10C multirole fighters using China’s lethal PL-15E air-to-air missiles.

“The much-hyped Rafale failed spectacularly, and the Indian Air Force pilots demonstrated a lack of proficiency,” Dar remarked pointedly.

His claim was later bolstered by senior U.S. defence officials, who told Reuters that “Pakistani J-10C fighter jets were responsible for shooting down at least two Indian fighter aircraft” during the clash — a rare public nod of validation from Washington.

All five jets, according to reports, were destroyed using the PL-15E — a radar-guided missile with a 145-kilometre range that is rapidly redefining BVR combat standards across Asia.

Unofficial but credible reports suggest that Pakistan may also possess the extended-range variant of the PL-15, used by the Chinese PLA Air Force, which reportedly can strike targets over 300km away — giving PAF a strategic edge in standoff engagements.

Manufactured by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), the PL-15 is now widely seen as one of the most dangerous BVR missiles in the global inventory, placing it in direct competition with the U.S.-made AIM-120D AMRAAM and Europe’s Meteor missile.

The PL-15’s Mach 4 speed, AESA radar homing, and active terminal guidance render it ideal for head-on intercepts in high-threat, high-jamming environments.

Adding another layer of international intrigue, CNN’s senior correspondent Jim Sciutto reported via his X account that top French intelligence officials confirmed at least one Rafale was shot down by Pakistan in the skirmish — the first such loss of a Rafale fighter anywhere in the world.

The same French official disclosed that Paris is actively investigating the possibility that more than one IAF Rafale was lost in the engagement, raising alarm in defence circles in both Europe and South Asia.

CNN also reported today that a senior U.S. official with direct access to classified assessments confirmed that Pakistani forces had indeed downed an Indian fighter jet during India’s air strikes on Pakistani territory.

However, the U.S. has yet to publicly identify the precise weapons system used to carry out the kill, possibly due to the sensitive nature of missile proliferation and export variant capabilities in the region.

India, for its part, continues to deny any aircraft losses — including the five jets named by Pakistan — despite mounting photographic evidence and corroborating intelligence.

When asked about the alleged downing of five fighters, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri evaded the question, simply saying, “Look, when the time is right, official information will be provided.”

Meanwhile, images circulating on social media show wreckage bearing serial number BS-001, believed to belong to one of India’s Rafale fighters, discovered near Aklian Kalan in Bathinda, lending credibility to Pakistani claims.

If verified, it would represent the first known downing of a Rafale in live combat, raising questions over its survivability in contested BVR engagements against peer-level threats.

The Pakistan Air Force received its first six J-10C fighters from China on March 4, 2022, with the aircraft formally inducted into No. 15 Squadron “Cobras” at Minhas Air Base just one week later.

The acquisition of J-10Cs — a 4.5-generation platform equipped with AESA radar, electronic warfare suites, and long-range missile capability — was viewed as a deliberate counterbalance to India’s Rafale fleet.

Originally announced in December 2021, the deal covered 25 aircraft, though reports suggest that Pakistan may be negotiating to expand the fleet to as many as 60 airframes, signalling a broader reorientation of its air doctrine.

Alongside the J-10Cs, the PAF operates a diverse combat fleet of over 900 aircraft, including the co-developed JF-17 Thunder, upgraded F-16s from the U.S., and indigenous AEW&C assets such as the Saab 2000 Erieye and Chinese ZDK-03.

The JF-17 Block III variant — featuring AESA radar and PL-15 integration — is central to Pakistan’s long-term air strategy, especially in contested BVR environments.

Denied access to Western fighter programs and under continuous technological embargoes, Pakistan has turned to China and Turkey for strategic depth, advanced technology, and doctrinal innovation.

As regional flashpoints multiply — from Kashmir to the Indo-Pacific — the ability to project credible air power will be essential to deterring aggression and sustaining airspace sovereignty.

With its doctrine rooted in “minimum credible deterrence,” the Pakistan Air Force has emerged as a technologically agile and geopolitically consequential force in the evolving balance of power across South Asia.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA