India has not acknowledged loss of planes

9/5/2025 6:38

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Chinese-made Pakistani fighter plane shot down at least two

Indian military aircraft on Wednesday, two U.S. officials told

Reuters, marking a major milestone for Beijing's advanced

fighter jet.



An Indian Air Force spokesperson said he had no comment when

asked about the Reuters report.



The performance of a leading Chinese fighter jet against a

Western rival is being closely watched in Washington for

insights into how Beijing might fare in any showdown over Taiwan

or the wider Indo-Pacific.



One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said

there was high confidence that Pakistan had used the

Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against

Indian fighter jets - bringing down at least two.



Another official said at least one Indian jet that was shot

down was a French-made Rafale fighter aircraft.



Both officials said Pakistan's F-16 aircraft, made by

Lockheed Martin, were not used in the shootdown.



Delhi has not acknowledged the loss of any of its planes and

instead said it carried out successful strikes against what it

said was "terrorist" infrastructure inside Pakistan.

World powers from the U.S. to Russia and China have called for

calm in one of the world's most dangerous, and most populated,

nuclear flashpoint regions.



In France, Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation and

the MBDA consortium, which makes the

Meteor air-to-air missile, could not immediately be reached for

comment on a public holiday.

While Reuters reported on Wednesday that three Indian planes

went down, citing local government officials in India, this

marks the first Western confirmation that Pakistan's

Chinese-made jets were used in the shootdowns.



Pakistan’s Defense minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, told

Reuters on Thursday that the J-10 was used to shoot down three

French-made Rafale planes, which were newly acquired by India.



Altogether, Pakistan says it downed five Indian planes in

air-to-air combat.







CLOSELY EYING



The Rafale and the model of the J-10 used by Pakistan are

both considered generation 4.5 fighter jets, placing them at the

leading edge of combat aircraft.



Western analysts and defense industry sources said the live

use of some of the advanced weapons that could be deployed in

future major power conflicts would be scrutinized in minute

detail, but emphasized it was too early to draw firm

conclusions.



"Air warfare communities in China, the U.S. and a number of

European countries will be extremely interested to try and get

as much ground truth as they can on tactics, techniques,

procedures, what kit was used, what worked and what didn't,"

said Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the

International Institute for Strategic Studies.



Social media posts highlighted the face-off between China's

PL-15 air-to-air missile against the Meteor, produced by

European missile group MBDA.



But the analysts and sources said crucial details were

unclear including whether Meteors were carried or how they may

have been deployed.



"At the moment it's not possible to judge anything. We know

so little," a Western defense industry source said.



Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have fought three major

wars, as well as numerous smaller conflicts.



Blasts rang out across the city of Jammu in Indian Kashmir

late on Thursday during what Indian military sources said they

suspected was a Pakistani drone attack across the region on the

second day of clashes between the neighbors.



Pakistan said earlier on Thursday it shot down 25 drones

from India overnight, while India said its air defenses had

stopped Pakistani drone and missile attacks on military targets.