[Source/Author: Guancha Network Columnist Bai Yujing]
Recently, an unexpected air battle erupted in the western part of the Karakoram. The Pakistan Air Force launched a precise aerial strike against India. According to Pakistan's official statement and corroborating evidence from social media platforms, the Indian Air Force lost six military aircraft in a short time, with the most shocking being the destruction of the Rafale fighter jet by China's PL-15 missile.
This is not just a regular victory or defeat in an air battle. The Rafale fighter jet is one of India's proudest high-end equipment in recent years, equipped with active phased array radar, capable of beyond-visual-range combat, and also features the Spectra integrated electronic warfare system, which is rumored to be able to resist F-22 locking. In Western aviation circles, it is considered the "ultimate form" of fourth-generation semi-fighters, designed for complex electromagnetic environments, making it theoretically extremely difficult to lock onto and shoot down.
However, this time, it was not only hit but also without any evasive maneuvers, being struck by the PL-15 missile. What happened behind the scenes? For this "silent long-range hunting," we must re-understand the truth of modern air combat from the perspective of battlefield layout, electromagnetic countermeasures mechanisms, and missile technology synergistic changes.
The most advanced European self-defense system has failed.
By rights, the Rafale should not have been shot down so easily.
The Rafale is equipped with the world's most advanced air combat self-defense system, Spectra, which claims to protect the aircraft from all directions.
The Spectra electronic warfare system it carries is hailed by Dassault as "the most advanced air combat self-defense system in Europe." This system integrates radar warning receivers (RWR), active jammers (DRFM), and chaff/flares launchers, capable of issuing warnings at the initial stage of enemy radar lock-on, followed by automatically releasing interference beams or decoys to avoid missile tracking. During NATO exercises, Spectra successfully interfered with US radar and even prevented F-22 stealth fighters from locking on, earning its reputation.
So why did it fail to resist the PL-15?
The key issue may not lie in the technical shortcomings of the Spectra system itself but rather in the tactics and situation set by the Pakistan Air Force, which exceeded the response boundaries of the Spectra system. The Spectra system is designed as a defensive system for dealing with "conventional air combat procedures": radar detection → threat identification → interference avoidance. However, facing the PL-15, the Spectra system might not have "failed to interfere successfully," but rather "didn't have time to start interference."
Because the PL-15 is not a single missile attack but part of an integrated "early warning + data link + guidance" combat network. The PL-15 is usually precisely guided by early warning aircraft or ground radars through data links during the mid-flight phase until the final stage when it activates its active radar guidance. The activation time of the PL-15's active radar guidance head is very short; once activated, it enters the terminal lock-on phase, and by then, the distance to the target may be less than 20 kilometers, leaving the Spectra system with reaction time measured in seconds, and the interference window extremely small.
In addition, if the PL-15 uses frequency hopping, low-detectable guidance bands (such as Ka-band), along with bidirectional data link corrections from ground and airborne systems, then systems like Spectra, which focus on "fighter self-protection," cannot provide true protection. Moreover, the missile itself has optimized anti-interference algorithms, so even if Spectra successfully identifies and releases decoys, it may not necessarily change the missile's trajectory.
F-22 can detect the existence of the Rafale, but due to the Spectra system, it cannot stably track and lock onto the Rafale.
Therefore, the Spectra system faces not just one missile but an entire aerial ambush chain covering hundreds of kilometers with dynamic changes. One key factor cannot be ignored: the greatest advantage of the Spectra system lies in allocating resources under known electromagnetic situations and clear threats, playing an active interference and deception role in the front-line battlefield. But from the beginning, this battle was an information asymmetry situation set by the Pakistani side. The Indian Air Force may not have realized they were surrounded by an electronic firepower net until the first Rafale was hit. This is not a technical failure of Spectra but a strategic disabling of it when facing a Chinese-style system suppression opponent.
The fall of the Rafale could be due to either the plane or the Indian Air Force itself, but India probably doesn't have an answer.
A brilliant ambush
The PL-15's decisive success was not solely due to the missile's performance but also the carefully planned "airspace ambush" by the Pakistan Air Force.
This operation was not impromptu but a highly planned systematic strike. According to multiple confirmations from Pakistani lawmakers and sources, the PL-15 missile that brought down the Rafale fighter jet was launched by the J-10C fighter jet. This means that the J-10C not only undertook search and target designation tasks but also served as the core firepower platform in the entire strike chain. Its active phased array radar and data link system enable it to independently complete the closed-loop process of "discovery-targeting-launch" in complex electromagnetic environments.
Meanwhile, the JF-17 Block III may have carried out more tactically flexible auxiliary missions: distracting the Indian airspace, implementing induced disruptions, compressing the Rafale's actionable space, and creating a clean firing window for the J-10C; F-16 provided tactical backup, ZDK-03 early warning aircraft maintained battlefield situational awareness, and ground air defense forces formed an integrated blockade network.
More importantly, this was not just an air-to-air engagement but a highly controlled battlefield ambush involving air-ground coordination. HQ-9 and other medium-to-long-range air defense missiles likely advanced deployment, blocking the Indian support direction and escape paths, providing deep support for the aerial "strike formation," and putting Indian aircraft under oppressive pressure as soon as they entered the arena.
Under such a systematic strike, the electronic warfare advantages of a single aircraft type are completely irrelevant. It's not that the Spectra system failed, but rather that it had no chance to respond.
China's PL-15 and the remains of the M88 engine of the Indian Rafale became irrefutable evidence of the Indo-Pakistani air battle, leaving India unable to deny it.
Dare to fight is the real deal
Many people might be surprised by the outcome of this battle, but what truly deserves attention is not the range of the PL-15 or the loss of the Rafale, but the fighting will and execution capability demonstrated by the Pakistan Air Force.
They didn't rush into action but chose to strike proactively after careful planning; they didn't engage in "hit-and-run" aerial duels but conducted an ambush strike under systematic suppression. To some extent, this battle reminds us of Turkey's action a decade ago when they shot down Russia's Su-24 bomber. Either don't fight, or fight hard and catch the opponent off guard.
Compared to this, although the Indian Air Force has formidable equipment, it has always been passive. Not lacking in technology, nor inferior in aircraft, but in the face of chaotic command chains and insufficient system coordination, even the best planes become isolated islands of "fighting separately."
Without a doubt, Pakistan is proving to the outside world that it now possesses an air force capable of daring to fight, capable of fighting, and organized. This is not only a demonstration of the capabilities of the Pakistan Air Force but also a small test of China's "Chinese offensive air combat system." The synergy between PL-15, J-10C, and early warning systems is demonstrating a combat logic different from the Western "single aircraft performance dominant" model. In the future, countries around the world may have to reassess China's true strength in long-range air dominance, information dominance, and systematic warfare.
And the PL-15 has finally moved beyond being just a model and data at airshows, entering the records of actual combat and casting a psychological shadow over opposing pilots' minds.
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Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7502236520464613900/
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