British Magazine's In-Depth Investigation: The Entire Story of the "Crushing" Air Combat Between Pakistan and India, with Strongly Insulting Content

Recently, there was a very famous military magazine in the UK called "Air Forces Monthly," which published an exclusive report. This report was written by journalist Alan Wavens, containing many concrete details and exclusive interview content, for the first time completely revealing the event known as the "Longest Beyond Visual Range Air Combat in History" between India and Pakistan in May 2025. The report pointed out that this battle was not just a simple confrontation of strength, but a comprehensive victory of multi-domain coordination, electronic suppression, and cyber attacks, ending with a decisive advantage for the Pakistani Air Force, while the Indian Air Force's defeat was a disgrace.

The Prelude to "Crushing": A Carefully Designed "Trap"

The report mentioned that this air combat was triggered like this: In April 2025, a terrorist attack occurred in Indian-controlled Kashmir. As soon as this incident occurred, Indian Prime Minister Modi made a tough statement, saying he would retaliate. The Indian Air Force immediately launched a precision strike plan called "Sindhu Operation." However, the Pakistani Air Force reacted quickly and soon came up with a countermeasure plan called "Operation Strong Structure." A senior Pakistani Air Force officer revealed: "We set a trap and lured them into our 'kill chain.' This battle lasted only 52 minutes, ultimately ending with the Pakistani Air Force shooting down six Indian aircraft."

It is worth noting that among the downed aircraft, several were French "Rafale" fighters, which the Indian Air Force had always been particularly proud of and treated as treasures. On the other hand, the Pakistani Air Force sent 42 aircraft into battle, which was much fewer than the 72 aircraft of the Indian Air Force. Moreover, the Pakistani Air Force mainly relied on its domestically produced JF-17 "Thunder" C-type aircraft and the J-10C "Menglong" fighter jets imported from China to conduct this battle.

"Sky Eye" + Data Link: Invisible Winning Weapons. The article states that the Pakistani Air Force's victory was not a matter of luck, but rather due to their already mature multi-domain integrated command system. Since the appointment of Air Force Chief Babar Siddiqui, the Pakistani Air Force has continuously worked to integrate early warning aircraft, data links, electronic warfare, and cyber attacks into one.

There is also a "Sky Eye": The Swedish Saab 2000 "Erieye" early warning aircraft equipped by the Pakistani Air Force is a crucial "eye" in air combat, playing a significant role. It can clearly detect enemy aircraft formations more than 400 kilometers away from the Indian border and assign targets. A Pakistani Air Force pilot said: "Fighter radar cannot see far, but the 'Erieye' can."

Data Link Empowerment: All Pakistani aircraft are connected to an encrypted data link system called "Link17/Skyguard." This way, each aircraft can immediately know what is happening on the battlefield, working together as a single unit, cooperating closely and fighting together.

The Deadly "PL-15E": Making the "Rafale" Helpless

In the long-range air combat, the Pakistani Air Force used the PL-15E long-range air-to-air missile, which demonstrated a crushing advantage. This missile has a maximum range of about 190 kilometers, which is 50 kilometers more than the Meteor missile carried by the Rafale fighter jet, and it is faster.

The Pakistani Air Force adopted a "non-exposing" tactic: the J-10C fighter jets did not activate their own radar, but instead obtained target information through the early warning aircraft and ground command center, and transmitted the information to the PL-15E missile via the data link. Only when the missile approached the terminal stage did its active radar seeker start working. By the time the Rafale fighter pilots saw the missile coming, they often had only three seconds to react, which was too short to avoid.

The most astonishing part of this air combat was that Pakistan used network warfare and direct weapon attacks simultaneously for the first time in history.

The report stated that the Pakistani Air Force deployed mobile electronic warfare units to strongly interfere with the radar and communication systems of the Rafale fighter jets, forcing them to abandon their mission. More importantly, the S-400 air defense system purchased by India at great expense was almost useless during this conflict, as its radar frequency band was subjected to special electronic suppression by the Pakistani Air Force.

At the same time, the Pakistani cyber forces launched a full-scale attack on India's key infrastructure, causing nationwide power outages, even hacking into social media and banking systems, creating social chaos. This was unprecedented in military history, and the Pakistani side called it "Kinetic + Network" synchronized operations.

The report from "Air Forces Monthly" not only embarrassed the Indian Air Force but also caused great shock in the U.S. military circles. For a long time, the Pakistani Air Force has been regarded by the outside world as a "student" of the Chinese Air Force. This air combat was the first practical test of China's advanced operational concepts and weapons systems.

American military analysts generally believe that the "system" capabilities displayed by Pakistan are shadows of the Chinese Air Force's development over the years. The U.S. military community has begun to worry: if the Pakistani Air Force's combat "system" is already so strong, then the Chinese Air Force must be even stronger! We have more advanced Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft - 500, the J-20 stealth fighter, and the PL-15 air-to-air missile, plus stronger electronic warfare capabilities and data link strength. These advanced equipment and capabilities will definitely pose a significant challenge to the U.S. military's aerial superiority in the Indo-Pacific region.

This air combat was not just a confrontation between India and Pakistan, but also a warning to potential future opponents of the U.S. military: the decisive factor in future air combat is no longer the performance of a single platform, but who has a more powerful and intelligent system.

Reflection on the Failure: Why Was the Indian Air Force So Weak?

"Air Forces Monthly" analyzed that the failure of the Indian Air Force was the result of multiple factors:

Loss of Command: The Indian Air Force's ground guidance system could not manage 72 high-speed aircraft simultaneously, leading to a chaotic state where the formation fell into self-reliance after being attacked. Over-reliance on the "Rafale": India once claimed that "one Rafale could counter five JF-17s," but the actual combat proved the futility of this blind confidence. Weak Cyber Defense: Key infrastructure was attacked by cyber warfare, seriously affecting logistics and command, resulting in complete paralysis of ground support.

This air combat was not just a contest between planes and missiles. It profoundly revealed that the essence of modern air combat is no longer "who has the fastest plane," but "who has the smartest system." This was a victory of a "kill chain" system built by sensors, data links, long-range weapons, and electronic networks.

Original Article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7553596971500634639/

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