After the Pahalgam attack, India took recourse to accusations against Pakistan without any evidence. In the wee hours of May 7, two weeks after the incident, India launched military action against Pakistan, codenamed Operation Sindoor, and used its air force assets to strike different locations in mainland Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.
In retaliation, Pakistan initiated a major strike to counter the miscalculated Indian offensive, leading to about an hour-long dogfight of the modern variety. This interaction has been recorded as the longest spell in the skies since World War II.
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jets used highly advanced air-to-air missiles, and jammed the electronic systems of Indian jets due to which they just could not perform the way they thought they would.
During the aerial engagement that night, PAF’s Saab-2000 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), having a radar range of about 450km, alerted fighter jets about enemy jets, ensuring that the Indian pilots got a taste of their own medicine. In this dogfight, PAF shot down multiple Indian jets.
On that fateful night, the PAF became the first ever force in the world to shoot down a 4.5-generation fighter jet, making it clear that it is always the man behind the machine who makes the difference.
MUHAMMAD MUZAMMIL HASSAN KHAN
ISLAMABAD
