Two US officials confirmed that Pakistan used Chinese-made fighter jets to eliminate at least two Indian military aircraft in an air battle in the early morning of May 7.
An unnamed US official said it was highly likely that Pakistan used Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles at Indian fighter jets, shooting down at least two.
This is the first time the West has confirmed that a Chinese-made Pakistani fighter jet was used in the shootdown.
Another official said at least one of the Indian jets shot down was a French-made Rafale fighter.
Both officials said Pakistani F-16s, made by US firm Lockheed Martin, were not used in the shootdown.
The Pakistani military announced that in an air battle that lasted about an hour in the early morning of May 7, its fighter jets shot down five Indian fighter jets and one drone.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Pakistan used Chinese-made J-10 fighter jets to shoot down three Rafale fighters that India had recently purchased from France.
However, so far, India has not confirmed this damage, only saying that 3 of their military aircraft crashed.
Rafale and J-10 are both considered 4.5 generation fighters, ranking at the top of the fighter aircraft field.
The capabilities of a top Chinese fighter jet compared to a Western rival are being closely watched by Washington as well as European countries.
Western analysts and defense industry sources said the direct use of some advanced weapons that could be used in future conflicts would be closely scrutinized, but stressed it was too early to draw firm conclusions.
“The air combat communities in China, the US and some European countries will be very interested in trying to gather as much real-world information as possible about what tactics, techniques, procedures were used, what worked, what didn’t work,” said Douglas Barrie, a senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
According to analysts, the Pakistan Air Force likely used Chinese-made PL-15E long-range missiles in the air battle with Indian fighter jets.
Social media posts are also now focusing on the performance of the Chinese-made PL-15 air-to-air missile compared to the Meteor, a radar-guided air-to-air missile made by European consortium MBDA.
“The PL-15 is a big deal. It’s something the US military is paying close attention to,” said one defense industry executive.
