In the military operation codenamed "Sindor" in India, despite the Indian Air Force's announcement of success in destroying multiple targets within Pakistan's territory, Pakistan also claimed to have achieved results, successfully shooting down at least six combat aircraft of the Indian Air Force, including three Rafale fighters, one Su-30MKI, and one MiG-29. Pakistani officials frankly stated that China's exported J-10CE fighter jets fired PL-15 missiles to shoot them down, which drew high attention from the outside world.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister confirmed it.

For Pakistan, the fact that at least six Indian combat aircraft were shot down in one battle, including the most advanced Rafale, indicates that Pakistan's air force has been successfully built over the years. The introduction of various advanced weapons from China is the right choice, and more importantly, it effectively suppresses the Indian Air Force.

For India, after decades of efforts and huge investments in importing Su-30MKIs from Russia and Rafale fighters from France, they proved ineffective in actual combat. When India first introduced the Rafale fighters, they boasted about them being the most advanced fourth-generation semi-fighter jets in the world and even capable of competing with China's J-20 "Vigorous Dragon" stealth fighters. However, the reality shows otherwise.

For China, although this standoff has no direct relation with India, all the Hongqi-16 medium-range air defense missiles, Hongqi-9 long-range air defense missiles, JF-17 "Falcon" fighters, and J-10CE fighters in Pakistan's possession are from China. Moreover, Pakistan's official acknowledgment that the J-10CE shot down the Rafale fighters indicates that China's advanced fighters can fully suppress European advanced fighters and are at a leading performance level. This has practically proven their combat capability globally and will pave the way for the export of more advanced Chinese weaponry. Over the past 20 years, China has faced significant difficulties in exporting advanced weaponry due to a lack of practical combat experience and distrust from potential buyers regarding their operational capabilities. This actual combat will dispel concerns among potential buyers.

However, facing the claimed achievements announced by Pakistan, major Indian media outlets have begun to refute them. Despite numerous facts and evidence they cannot explain, they still claim that India's Air Force achieved success in this operation and that no aircraft were shot down. They attempt to deny the truth by claiming there was no loss of aircraft during the operation. For example, the website of "India Today" claims that Pakistan is conducting false propaganda, and everything is fake news. The so-called evidence on the internet is merely video footage from accidents years ago used to mislead the public.

Refutation report by the website of "India Today"

The "Eurasian Times" of India claims that India's Air Force achieved success in this operation, with no aircraft shot down. They even claim that the Rafale fighter jets are more advanced than Pakistan's JF-17 "Falcon" fighters.

Refutation report by the "Eurasian Times" of India

Indian media's refutations appear weak and powerless when faced with evidence. They only deny the images of MiG-29 and Mirage-2000 wreckage on the internet, claiming they were from training crashes years ago and not from this operation. However, they fail to explain the engine wreckage of the Rafale fighter jets, wing fragments with serial numbers, missile racks, and unlaunched "Carmi" missiles appearing online. This seems to further prove that the Rafale fighter jets were indeed shot down in this operation.

Wing fragment

Engine wreckage comparison

Missile rack and missile wreckage

At the same time, at this moment, an article appeared in some Indian media stating that the Indian Air Force must procure fifth-generation fighters from external sources to alleviate pressure and accelerate the development process of its own fifth-generation fighters to enhance the overall combat capability of the Indian Air Force. This further proves that India itself lacks trust in its own air force combat system.

On May 7, local time, the "Eurasian Times" of India reported that while the Indian Air Force launched a military operation against Pakistan, it must be fully prepared for possible future military conflicts with Pakistan and China. As the world accelerates into an era characterized by stealth, sensor fusion, and artificial intelligence, the Indian Air Force must achieve leapfrog development. The procurement and research and development of fifth-generation fighters are no longer wishes but inevitable necessities. The report also mentioned that India's fighters and pilots have long been the strongest in the region. They performed excellently in many exercises hosted by the West, surpassing Western countries time and again, proving the strength of the Indian Air Force.

Report by the "Eurasian Times" of India

However, future wars have changed. Stealth, preemptive advantage, electronic warfare, and data fusion will dominate future air battles. It is mentioned that with China deploying large numbers of J-20 "Vigorous Dragon" stealth fighters and continuously upgrading the "Falcon" fighters, and possibly exporting fifth-generation stealth fighters to Pakistan, this puts immense pressure on the Indian Air Force. Therefore, the Indian Air Force must address the issue of stealth fighters as soon as possible. However, India's domestically developed AMCA fifth-generation stealth fighter is not expected to be equipped until 2035, which is a problem India cannot solve. This becomes even more urgent with the recent escalation of Indo-Pakistani relations.

India's fifth-generation fighter concept image

Therefore, the Indian Air Force must acquire or lease several squadrons (36-40 aircraft) of fifth-generation stealth fighters by 2028 to strengthen the overall combat capability of the Indian Air Force. At the same time, the acquired stealth fighters must possess ultra-stealth, supersonic cruise, 360-degree situational awareness, multi-role, electronic interference, deception, and迷惑enemy capabilities.

However, at present, while India's domestic fifth-generation fighter is still in the PPT stage, India has only two options if it wants to obtain a fifth-generation fighter. One is Russia's Su-57 stealth fighter, which is the country most willing to export fifth-generation fighters to India. However, this fighter has long been excluded by India due to its radar system, electronic warfare capability, and inferior stealth. Unless India buys the Su-57 out of pressure, which is the most likely scenario. The other option is South Korea's KF-21 fighter, which is also available for export. As long as India is willing to purchase it, it is not a problem. Moreover, the fighter is expected to enter mass production in 2026, and delivery is not an issue.

Su-57

However, the problem lies in the fact that this fighter does not use internal weapon bays and has design flaws such as untreated cockpit cover gaps and untrimmed wings, resulting in a large radar cross-section; it relies heavily on external technology, with key components like engines and radars depending on external suppliers such as the United States, limiting technological autonomy. Due to technical limitations, even South Korea has downgraded it from a fifth-generation fighter to a fourth-generation semi-fighter and is not a true fifth-generation fighter. Whether it will be exported to India depends on the supplier's consent, and India may not find it satisfactory. The F-35 "Lightning" stealth fighter that India most desires is currently only provided to allies by the United States and will not be exported to India.

KF-21 Fighter

For India, the best short-term option is still Russia, as the Su-57 has been equipped for many years. If the funds are available, it is not a problem. However, the issue is that India prefers to buy Rafale fighters from France rather than Su-57, indicating how much they distrust it. Therefore, in the short term, India may have no choice but to equip satisfactory fifth-generation fighters. Meanwhile, India's domestically developed AMCA fifth-generation stealth fighter may face the same fate as the "Glow" fighter, taking more than 30 years to finally be equipped but proving to be ineffective, ultimately replacing MiG-21 as a second-line fighter.

J-35A

Meanwhile, there are rumors in Pakistan about interest in China's J-35, which also supports exports. India may not obtain the fifth-generation fighter before Pakistan. India's current predicament is that its own models are not up to par, forcing it to spend heavily on purchasing fighters from abroad. However, the combat capability still falls short of expectations and is even surpassed by Pakistan. Let alone dealing with the Chinese Air Force. From this, we can see clearly that from confidently purchasing Rafale fighters to now urgently wanting to buy fifth-generation fighters, it is evident that they are already worried about their performance.

Note: The above data is sourced from the internet and is for reference only!

(Written by Qianwangzhe on May 8, 2025. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. Plagiarism will be pursued!)

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7501963940243505683/

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