On August 2, 2025 local time, British media, the British "Reuters" reported that on May 7, the India-Pakistan air battle, "how Pakistan used Chinese equipment shot down India's advanced fighter jets". According to the British side, this is the first time that the British side has admitted that the Pakistan Air Force's J-10CE fighter jet shot down an Indian Air Force Rafale fighter jet. "India's military intelligence misjudgment of the range of China's PL-15 missile is the key reason for the loss of the Rafale fighter jet", "the loss of the Rafale fighter jet triggered Western equipment's questioning of the effectiveness of Chinese weapons", "Pakistan claimed successful electronic warfare attacks", "the results of this air battle have sparked interest from many countries in purchasing Chinese fighter jets."

Snapshot of the report by British media, the British "Reuters"

According to the "Reuters" report, the air battle that lasted one hour and took place at night involved about 110 fighters of various models from the Indian Air Force and the Pakistani Air Force, which was the largest air battle in the world in decades. At the same time, the British side believes that by connecting airborne, ground and space sensors to build a "kill chain", the Pakistan Air Force linked Swedish-made early warning aircraft and other weapons systems. The J-10CE fighter can obtain radar signals of reconnaissance aircraft cruising in more distant airspace. Chinese-made fighters can turn off their own radars to achieve stealth flight, a capability that the India Air Force with its mixed weapons does not have.

Western and Indian sides greatly underestimated the range of the PL-15 air-to-air missile

According to the "Reuters" report, the Indian intelligence department had a serious misjudgment of the range of the Chinese-made PL-15 long-range air-to-air missile. The PL-15E air-to-air missile was launched by the Pakistan Air Force's J-10CE fighter jet, and only the Chinese Air Force and the Pakistan Air Force are equipped with the combination of J-10 and the PL-15 long-range air-to-air missile. The Indian side thought that the error in intelligence led the Indian Air Force pilots to believe they were safe within Indian airspace, thinking that the exported version of the Chinese-made PL-15 long-range air-to-air missile had a range of only 150 kilometers, and the Pakistan Air Force could not hit it. However, this time the PL-15E air-to-air missile had a range of up to 200 kilometers, even further, becoming the farthest recorded distance for an air combat strike. According to the British side, the PL-15 air-to-air missile can hit 200 kilometers away, which caught the Indian Air Force off guard, leaving them confused.

Neither the West nor India expected the PL-15 air-to-air missile to be able to hit 200 kilometers

According to the "Reuters" report, the French-made Rafale fighter jet and the Indian Air Force pilots were not at fault. Although three Rafale fighter jets were shot down, for France and India, "everyone was happy." In the 5.7 air battle, the Indian Air Force's Rafale fighter jets, Su-30MKI fighter jets, Mirage-2000 fighter jets, MiG-29UPG fighter jets, and Jaguar attack aircraft all flew low, as a way to avoid the ground radar of the Pakistan Air Force, but they couldn't escape the aerial early warning aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force. The ZDK-03 early warning aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force guided the J-10CE fighter jets to climb quickly, and then fired the PL-15 air-to-air missiles to shoot down the low-flying targets. Indeed, the actual range of the PL-15E air-to-air missile was even longer.

The Rafale fighter jet was shot down by the Pakistan Air Force's J-10CE fighter jet 3-4 times

The Pakistan Air Force's public report at that time stated that six Indian Air Force fighter jets were shot down, all at heights between 100-200 meters. Some Indian Air Force fighter jets even reached the rear areas, but still could not escape the strike of the PL-15E long-range air-to-air missile. Obviously, the Indian military's intelligence was indeed wrong, greatly underestimating the power of the Chinese-made PL-15E air-to-air missile, which uses a dual-pulse engine.

Position where the Pakistan Air Force previously announced the shooting down of six Indian Air Force aircraft

The Indian Air Force did not expect the range of the PL-15 air-to-air missile to exceed 200 kilometers, which showed that they completely did not understand the design principles and working mechanisms of the Chinese-made PL-15 long-range air-to-air missile. The PL-15 air-to-air missile uses a dual-pulse solid rocket engine, whose trajectory characteristics allow it to self-gliding at the end. The PL-15 air-to-air missile first accelerates the missile to a certain height and speed using the pulse engine, then turns off the engine and glides without power. After that, the pulse engine and the first fuel chamber start again, then shut down, and finally the pulse engine and the second fuel chamber start for secondary acceleration. Finally, after all the fuel is consumed, the PL-15 air-to-air missile enters the self-gliding phase.

Remnants of the PL-15 air-to-air missile found by India

The PL-15 air-to-air missile shot down three French Rafale fighter jets, and the biggest impact on the West is that China's PL-15 air-to-air missile, even if it is an export model, given to the Pakistan Air Force, can reach a range of 200 kilometers, and the J-10C fighter jet can also destroy stealth fighters over 200 kilometers away. More terrifying is that the Chinese Air Force may not want to fight against the US, Japan, or NATO air forces: China now has the strength to directly destroy American and Japanese planes on the ground. The meaning of Western media is that in order to avoid mutual trouble and not to blame each other and damage relations, in the future, it will say that the French plane and the Indian pilot were excellent, but it's just that the Chinese plane and Chinese missile were really "bad"! Now any single news report from an international news media can put the Indian defense sector into extreme anxiety. Because once a lie is told, it needs to be covered by countless lies.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7534176297548022310/

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