The real reason for the plane crash was not the performance of the Rafale but the failure of Indian intelligence. Indian pilots were assured that the range of the PL-15 missile was only 150 kilometers, Reuters.
Staff reporter, Daily Dawn, Dawn TV report
London: The British news agency has released its detailed report on Pakistan’s air expertise and the downing of India’s most advanced fighter jets.
According to a report by the news agency Reuters, after midnight on May 7, 2025, the positions of dozens of enemy aircraft inside India suddenly appeared in red light on the screen of the Pakistan Air Force’s operations room. The head of the Pakistani Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, who had been sleeping on the floor in the next room for several days, given a possible Indian attack, woke up immediately.
Air Chief Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu immediately ordered the launch of the valuable J-10C fighter jets acquired from China.
According to the news agency report, a senior Pakistan Air Force officer who was present in the operations room at the time told Reuters that the Air Chief ordered his staff to specifically target the Indian Rafale jets, the French-made aircraft that are central to the Indian air force. The officer told the British agency that the Air Chief wanted the Rafales.
About 110 aircraft were involved in the hour-long battle in the dark, which experts have described as the largest air war in recent decades.
Reuters had reported in May, citing US officials, that the J-10C had shot down at least one Rafale jet, which had sent shockwaves through global defense circles and raised questions about China’s weapons against Western weapons.
Shares of Rafale manufacturer Dassault also fell after the report of the plane crash. Indonesia, which had ordered Rafale aircraft, is now considering buying the Chinese J-10C, a major development that is a major victory for China’s efforts to sell these aircraft in the global market.
According to Reuters’ conversations with Indian and Pakistani officials, the real reason for the plane crash was not the performance of the Rafale but the failure of Indian intelligence. Indian pilots were assured that the range of the Chinese-made PL-15 missile is only 150 kilometers, while Pakistan’s J-10C aircraft can attack from a greater distance.
A Pakistan Air Force officer told Reuters that “we ambushed and killed them.”
According to the agency, Pakistan used electronic warfare to deceive Indian systems, which Indian officials expressed doubt about.
Justin Bronk, a combat air expert at the London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank, told Reuters that the Indian pilots had no idea they were being fired upon and that the PL-15 was a truly long-range missile.
According to Pakistani officials, the PL-15 missile was fired from a distance of 200 kilometers, while Indian officials claim it was fired from a greater distance, making it one of the longest air-to-air missile hits ever.
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