A Chinese-made J-10C fighter jet used by the Pakistani Air Force shot down at least two Indian military aircraft in a confrontation on Wednesday, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to Reuters.
One U.S. official cited by Reuters claimed that the J-10C jets used by Pakistan are equipped with PL-15 air-to-air missiles. A second U.S. official corroborated that at least one of the downed jets was a French-built Rafale. Both clarified that Lockheed Martin’s F-16 aircraft, also in service with Pakistan, were not used in the engagement.
Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry earlier announced that the Pakistan military had shot down five Indian Air Force jets in retaliation for Indian missile strikes.
He specified that the downed aircraft included three Rafale fighters, one MiG-21, and one SU-30.
“At no point were any Indian aircraft permitted to enter Pakistani airspace, and likewise, no Pakistani aircraft crossed into Indian airspace,” he said.
A French intelligence official confirmed that a Rafale fighter jet operated by the Indian Air Force was shot down by Pakistan.
The Indian Air Force currently operates a fleet of 36 Rafale F3Rs, procured from France in recent years. It has not confirmed the loss of any aircraft in the ongoing conflict.
According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Pakistan now sources approximately 82 percent of its arms from China. Its ties with Washington have eroded over the last decade, leading to reduced military aid and fewer arms purchases from the U.S.
Analysts said the current battle between India and Pakistan is being closely analyzed in military circles as a real-world case study comparing two rival beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile systems: the Chinese PL-15, used by Pakistan, and the European Meteor, deployed by India.
These advanced BVR platforms are considered among the most capable in service today, offering long-range engagement capabilities and sophisticated radar guidance systems.
“This is now a very public demonstration of the prowess of Chinese military aerospace technologies,” Fabian Hoffmann, a non-resident fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, told Reuters.
Douglas Barrie of the International Institute for Strategic Studies told the news outlet that the engagement serves as a “rare opportunity” to evaluate how advanced BVR weapons function under real combat stress: “You have arguably China’s most capable weapon against the West’s most capable weapon.”
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after India accused Pakistan of orchestrating an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people.
Fighting continued on Thursday with heavy cross-border shelling reported along the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region throughout the day.
Since Wednesday, at least 48 people have been reported killed, including 32 in Pakistan, after India launched missile strikes targeting “terrorist camps,” prompting Pakistan to respond with a barrage of artillery attacks.
