Reuters: Chinese-Made Pakistani J-10 Shoots Down at Least Two Indian Fighter Jets

On Wednesday, May 7, a Pakistani Chengdu J-10C fighter jet shot down at least two Indian military aircraft.

This was reported to Reuters by two US officials.

This was an important moment for assessing the combat capabilities of modern Chinese fighter jets. A representative of the Indian Air Force declined to comment on this information.

Washington is closely monitoring the effectiveness of Chinese-made combat aircraft to understand Beijing’s potential in a possible conflict over Taiwan or in the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.

One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was “high confidence” that Pakistan had used Chinese Chengdu J-10s in the air battle, during which at least two Indian fighter jets had been shot down. According to another official, one of the downed aircraft was a French Rafale. Both officials emphasized that American F-16s, which were also in service with the Pakistan Air Force, had not participated in the battle.

India does not acknowledge the loss of its aircraft. Instead, it has officially announced successful strikes against so-called terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.

Although Reuters reported on Wednesday that three Indian aircraft had been shot down, citing local officials, this was the first confirmation from Western sources that Chinese-made fighter jets had participated in the battle.

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in a comment to the publication on Thursday that J-10 aircraft had shot down three French-made Rafale fighter jets. In total, Pakistan claims that five Indian aircraft were shot down in air battles.

Analysts and defense industry representatives in the West note that the combat use of these aircraft allows for an assessment of possible scenarios for major conflicts in the future. At the same time, they stress that it is too early to draw final conclusions.

Armament

In the area of the air battle, where Indian fighter jets were shot down by Pakistani pilots, the fragments of Chinese PL-15 air-to-air missiles were found. However, it is currently unknown which modification of the missile had been used.

Since 2021, Pakistan has been receiving an export version of the PL-15 with a limited range of up to 145 kilometers. At the same time, the full-fledged long-range version of the missile for China’s own fighter jets has a declared range of 200-300 km, depending on conditions and the type of carrier.

In December 2021, it became known that the Pakistan Air Force would receive Chinese Chengdu J-10C multi-role fighters. And in February 2022, photos of the first such fighter for Pakistan appeared on social media, which was spotted at a factory in the Chinese city of Chengdu.