After the Pahalgam attack in illegally Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, both Pakistan and India have been engaged in semantics of war, predominantly raising questions about their military capabilities. A false flag operation by India has re-ignited long-standing tensions between two nuclear powers. In this context, the Pakistan Air Force displayed principles of precision, professionalism, and strategic dominance. In contrast, the Indian Air Force finds itself scrambling jets and headlines with more noise than nuances.
On the night of May 6, the IAF showcased its signature launching, cowardly striking civilian areas in Pakistan under the pretext of striking alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba sites. The launch of unprecedented air-to-surface and surface-to-surface missiles based on baseless allegations further raised questions about the recklessness and lack of professionalism of the IAF. In a decisive response, PAF shot down five Indian jets including three Rafales, a MiG-21, and a SU 30MKI, dealing not only a severe blow to IAF’s aerial credibility but also impacting the global perception and market price of French-made Rafales.
Conversely, being a responsible nuclear country, Pakistan has always adhered to legal, diplomatic, and strategic avenues unlike India, which persistently adopts aggressive behaviour, linking military confrontations to Pakistan. In pursuit of minimum credible deterrence, Pakistan has a scrupulously formatted missile system, carefully planned to deter any military misadventure by adversaries. Islamabad has often stated that its nuclear capability is purely meant to deter any Indian military misadventure and to ensure a credible second-strike capability in times of war. Unlike India, which has expanded its military ambitions far beyond the region through its military capabilities, Pakistan remains vigorously committed to a defensive posture devoid of expansionist goals. The sensible, rational, and responsible military approach demonstrates Pakistan’s hard-core commitment to regional peace and security.
The IAF continuously suffers from systemic issues, as evidenced by persistent crashes by its aircraft throughout history. In a recent incident, Vintage Jaguar, a 1979-era aircraft took the lives of young Indian soldiers, raising questions on IAF serviceability. Reports claim that this marks the fourth IAF crash in 2025 alone. This does not only devalue the credibility of the IAF but portrays issues of maintenance and lack of skilled pilots. The lost Indian jets include high-profile platforms including the Russian MiG series and SU 30MKI. Since the 1960s till now, India has lost 500 MiG-21s out of 872, which is a vast number of lost aircraft due to mechanical failures. In contrast, PAF enjoys a stellar international reputation, and is often invited to showcase its aerial skills and techniques at prestigious global air-show platforms including Paris, Bahrain, and Dubai.
Despite its numerical superiority, the IAF heavily relies on purchasing jets and air-to-air missiles from other countries including Russia, Israel, France, and other European countries. Indigenous advancements, like the Astrat-MK1 missile, and imports like the Russian Vympel R-73E, a short-range infrared-guided missile, provided limited capability when compared to Pakistan’s increasing military and technological advancements. Meteor and MICA are considered the backbone of Beyond-Visual-Range air-to-air-missile (BVRAAMs) for India, particularly when deployed on the Rafale fleet. These missiles claimed to have striking capability ranging from 100-150 Km, yet, overshadowed by Pakistan’s Airforce. Pakistan Air Force’s PL series, acquired through strategic and defense cooperation with China, are leading missiles of modern warfare on the global stage.
Notably, the PL-12 missile, with an effective range of 70-100 Km, and the more technologically advanced PL-15, with a range of 300-350 Km, offer Pakistan a clear, precise, and qualitative edge over Indian air-to-air-missiles. The PL-15’s aerial supremacy, with advanced radar systems, not only surpasses the Indian Meteor but also holds the capability of carrying nuclear weapons, raising the strategic stakes in South Asia’s aerospace domain. In this context, while India possesses a larger fleet, Pakistan’s adoption of next-generation long-range missiles like PL-15 and PL-12 represents Pakistan’s strategic shift, one that prefers precision and quantity over the quality of missiles.
However, importantly, PL-12 reaches a maximum speed of Mach 4, and PL-15 exceeded Mach 5+ these Chinese Missiles are advanced and installed with BVR (Beyond-Visual-Range) and AESA (Airborne Active Electronic Scan Array), considered unpredictable, non-targetable, and unobservable. PAF has advanced its aerial capabilities by installing these fourth-generation Air-to-Air-Missiles in the JF-17 Thunder, F-16 Falcon, Mirage III, and Mirage V.
The unwavering dedication and operational technique of the PAF have not only caught adversaries off guard but have also overwhelmed its enemies, maintaining moral and psychological ascendancy rather than numerical superiority. The PAF stands tall in its role as a symbol of deterrence and a steadfast guardian of the state’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Its commitment to professionalism, minimum deterrence, and strategic discipline underscores its pivotal role in national defence and regional stability.
Notably, “Operation Swift Retort” can be contemplated as a litmus test for the Indian Airforce, as it conducted successful retaliatory strikes against unauthorized incursion across the Line of Control (LoC) by IAF’s Wing Commander “Abhinandan”, whose mission aimed to strike within Pakistan’s territory. PAF swiftly responded by shooting down IAF’s so-called pride MiG-21 Bison. Moreover, the PAF imposed effective electronic suppression throughout the operation, blocking communication, command, and control of Indian jets. In a nutshell, during Operation Swift Retort PAF outclassed the in physical, technological, psychological, and strategic domains.
After the Balakot strikes in 2019 and the shooting down of IAF’s MiG-21 by PAF’s JF-17 Thunder, Pakistan’s indigenous Pakistani fighter jets emerged as a symbol of national power. Since then, Pakistan has consistently promoted and exported its indigenous-made JF-17s combat aircraft to countries including Azerbaijan, Myanmar, and Iraq. The reputation built in the aftermath of the Balakot strikes has importantly uplifted the PAF’s status in aerial excellence.
The PAF has significantly evolved into a leading force in cyber-air defence. PAF has proven to be a juggernaut for its neighbouring adversaries, demonstrating its adaptability and forward-thinking approach to emerging military navigations. PAF stands as an ironclad for its enemies, maintaining operational resilience despite external pressures and provocations. PAF is not just a force, but passion, honour, and dignity, symbolizing national pride and disciplined resolve. Its participation in international air exercises has exemplified dedication, and technical expertise, showcasing its capabilities on a global reach.
In addition, the real representation of PAF lies in its advanced radar and engine systems integrated into its combat aircraft. Advanced radar systems such as Airborne Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar systems, allow jets to trace and engage multiple targets at once. These systems are highly difficult for enemy detection, jamming, and/or interception, offering a significant advantage in identifying and striking enemy aircraft beyond the visual range. These fifth-generation radar systems are systematically integrated into PAF’s combat aircraft such as the Chengdu J10-C, JF-17 Thunder, F-16 Fighting Falcon, Mirage III, and Mirage V. In contrast, the Indian Air Force’s aging MiG-21 uses the Kopyo Pulse-Doppler radar system, which falls far short of its capabilities in front of the contemporary fifth-generation AESA system.
IAF has recently inducted two squadrons of highly capable Rafale-F3R combat aircraft from France, equipped with a range of modern weaponry such as Meteor beyond-visual-range (BVR) ramjet missile, Vympel NPO R-77 and Vympel R-73 from Russia, Python and I-Derby from Israel, and MICA missile system from Europe. However, the bulk of IAF’s fleet is of Soviet origin, the majority of which suffers from the issues of malfunction, poor serviceability, and incompatibility with the demands of modern warfare. The systemic vulnerability was recently highlighted on Sunday, when an Indian trainee aircraft crash-landed in Utar-Pardesh’s Aligarh area, demonstrating the immense dysfunctionality of Indian aircraft. The aircraft, belonging to pioneer Aviation India, collided with the runway wall while landing at Dhanipur Airstrip, underscoring ongoing concerns regarding the operational reliability of several Indian aircraft platforms.
The persistent malfunction of the IAF’s combat and non-combat aircraft was further exposed on April 29-30, following the border tensions after Pahalgam. During this period, Indian aircraft patrolling over Indian-occupied Kashmir experienced significant operational and technological setbacks, the IAF’s Rafales were electronically jammed by the PAF’s J10-C aircraft. This aircraft is developed by China’s Chengdu Aerospace Cooperation, and is a single-engine, multi-role fighter, equipped with advanced electronic warfare systems specifically designed to disrupt enemy radar and communication activities. It effectively neutralizes the technological edge claimed by the IAF because of the Rafales.
The unwavering dedication and operational technique of the PAF have not only caught adversaries off guard but have also overwhelmed its enemies, maintaining moral and psychological ascendancy rather than numerical superiority. The PAF stands tall in its role as a symbol of deterrence and a steadfast guardian of the state’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Its commitment to professionalism, minimum deterrence, and strategic discipline underscores its pivotal role in national defence and regional stability.
