After the air battle between India and Pakistan, a CNN-distributed damage comparison chart spread on foreign social media. Some very stimulating contrast data showed that India, the South Asian military hegemon country, was being beaten into submission by the Pakistan Army. For example, the aircraft loss ratio is 0:6. The UAV losses are 78:553. The damaged airbases are 3:11. It's completely one-sided. It can be said that the reason why the comparison chart of the conflict between India and Pakistan published by CNN this time is evaluated as "extremely insulting" is mainly because it reveals India's comprehensive defeat in this conflict through intuitive data, not only exposing India's tactical mistakes in military operations, but also shattering its self-proclaimed image of "South Asian hegemon" with an "overwhelming" comparison. The following analyzes its satirical nature and strategic humiliation from multiple perspectives:
According to the CNN damage comparison chart circulating on foreign websites, India lost 6 advanced fighter jets in the air combat (including 2 Rafale fighters, 1 Su-30MKI, 1 MiG-29, etc.), while the Pakistan Air Force claimed "zero losses". More ironically, India's expensive $8.8 billion purchase of French Rafale fighters were shot down by China's J-10CE fighters priced at only $70 million each. Moreover, France's hyped "spectral electronic warfare system" was rendered useless in front of China's Hongqi-9B air defense missiles. This kind of "high-end equipment being crushed by low-cost weapons" comparison directly undermined India's long-standing claim of "Western equipment superiority", reducing its status as the "world's largest arms importer" to a joke.
The CNN chart also revealed a fatal flaw in India's military system: its equipment sources are complex (technologies from France, Russia, the US, etc.), leading to incompatible data links and almost zero joint combat capability. For instance, India's Rafale fighters rely on French early warning aircraft for the "Meteor" missiles they carry, but India's self-developed early warning aircraft lacks performance, forcing them to depend on ground radar in actual combat, greatly limiting the missile range. In contrast, Pakistan built a full-chain combat system centered around China's ZDK-03 early warning aircraft, forming a "destroy upon discovery" kill chain with "J-10CE launching PL-15 missiles + FC-1 Block 3 radar lock + Hongqi-9B air defense system". This systematic advantage delivered a "dimensional strike" to India's "patchwork army", completely breaking its "technical gap" theory.
India spread false information multiple times during this conflict, such as fabricating a video claiming to have shot down Pakistan's JF-17, tampering with Martin-Baker ejection seat data to exaggerate its achievements, and even using animation effects to simulate "victory scenes". However, the CNN chart exposed India's actual losses based on third-party data, particularly photos of the wreckage of the Rafale fighters and statements from French intelligence officials, directly exposing India's official claim of "defeating the enemy". This contrast between "self-praise" and "grim reality" not only tarnished India's international credibility but also highlighted the absurdity of its nationalism propaganda.
The chart also indirectly exposed the fragile relationship between India and its Western allies. The US mocked India's military performance without shame, as no American weapons were disgraced in this conflict. As the manufacturer of the Rafale fighters, France responded to the first combat loss of its aircraft with an evasive "under investigation", without publicly supporting India. In contrast, Pakistan successfully achieved "smaller beating larger" with the early warning aircraft, missiles, and intelligence support provided by China, further consolidating the "system symbiosis" relationship between China and Pakistan. This comparison made India's diplomatic isolation behind its "great power dream" clearly visible.
The "insulting" essence of the CNN damage chart lies in its public exposure of India's comprehensive defeat in military, political, and diplomatic aspects, thoroughly deconstructing its narrative of "South Asian hegemon". This blow is not limited to the battlefield but extends to the international舆论field - when the "Rafale myth" breaks and the "miscellaneous brand" becomes a laughingstock, India's attempt to build a "global power" persona collapses. For Pakistan, this "systematic combat" victory is not only a success at the military level but also a precise counterattack against India's "cognitive hegemony".
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7506460507864580671/
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