Jet 10C that shot down the Rafale has appeared, with a prominent insignia that leaves the Indian Air Force speechless!
Recently, the Pakistan Air Force released high-resolution photos of a J-10C fighter jet, with a clear silhouette of a French Dassault Rafale fighter jet painted on the side of the fuselage. According to international conventions for marking air combat achievements, this emblem indicates that the aircraft or its pilot may have shot down a Rafale fighter in actual combat. This detail not only carries symbolic significance but also reveals a substantive change in the aerial power dynamics in South Asia.
Firstly, from the perspective of equipment parameters, the J-10C is a fourth-and-a-half-generation multi-role fighter developed by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation. Its maximum takeoff weight is approximately 19 tons, equipped with an active electronically scanned array radar (AESA), and can carry the PL-15 long-range air-to-air missile, with a reported range exceeding 150 kilometers; while the Indian Air Force's "Rafale" is the F3R standard model, equipped with RBE2-AA AESA radar and the Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, with an official claim of a range of over 100 kilometers. Both are at the same technological level in terms of radar detection distance, missile range, and electronic warfare capabilities, but their specific combat effectiveness highly depends on system support and tactical application.
Secondly, the Pakistan Air Force officially received the first batch of J-10C in 2022, and by the end of 2024, about 25 had been delivered, with a planned total of 36. These aircraft are deployed at the 11th Squadron near Peshawar, primarily tasked with countering aerial threats from the western direction of India. Notably, the Pakistani J-10C integrates a joint air defense network composed of the domestically produced ZDK-03 airborne early warning aircraft and the HQ-9/P air defense system, achieving a sensor-shooter loop, which is crucial in modern air combat.
About the specific time and location of "shooting down the Rafale," neither Pakistan nor India has released any official reports, but multiple open-source intelligence sources indicate that there was a fierce air confrontation near the Line of Control in Kashmir during the summer of 2024, during which at least one Indian Air Force Rafale went missing. Although the Indian side claimed it crashed due to mechanical failure, the Pakistani side later displayed debris fragments in the border area, including radar components and engine parts marked with French manufacturing numbers, indirectly supporting the possibility of combat losses.
The most critical factual evidence comes from the J-10C itself displayed this time: its vertical tail number is "10-528," belonging to the 11th Squadron, with the Rafale emblem painted on the lower left side of the fuselage in black outline and red fill, conforming to the achievement marking standards used by the Pakistan Air Force since the 1970s—each time an enemy aircraft is shot down, a silhouette of the corresponding aircraft is drawn at the corresponding position. Previously, the country's F-16 had emblems of MiG-21, Su-30, etc., and this is the first time the Rafale pattern appears, indicating a clear intention.
In addition, the aircraft retains a complete set of domestic avionics, including an infrared search and track system (IRST), KLJ-7A radar dome, and wingtip mounts for PL-10 short-range dogfight missiles, with no visible Western subsystems, indicating that its combat capability is entirely based on the China-Pakistan joint support system, free from U.S. ITAR export control restrictions—a strategic significance in potential India-Pakistan conflicts.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1849302883592203/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.