Pakistan's Chinese-made J-10C shoots down two Indian fighters in an air battle

On 7 May, a Pakistani Chengdu J-10C fighter jet shot down at least two Indian warplanes during an air battle.

Here's What We Know

This was reported to Reuters by two US officials. This was an important moment for assessing the combat capability of China's modern fighters. One of the American officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that there was "high confidence" that the J-10C would be used during the battle, in which two Indian fighters, including one Rafale, were shot down.

At the same time, he stressed that US F-16s, which are also in service with the Pakistani air force, were not involved in the clash.

The Indian side does not acknowledge the loss of its aircraft, claiming instead that it has successfully targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan. Although Reuters reported three downed Indian planes on Wednesday, citing local officials, this was the first confirmation from Western sources that Chinese-made fighters were involved in the battle.

On Thursday, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that J-10 jets had shot down three Indian Rafale fighters. In total, Pakistan claims to have shot down five Indian aircraft in air battles.

Analysts and representatives of the defence industry in the West point out that the combat use of these aircraft allows us to assess possible scenarios of major conflicts in the future. At the same time, they emphasise that it is too early to draw final conclusions.

Source: Reuters