Pakistan has claimed it used Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets against India’s air force in a brief military encounter on Wednesday.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s military said five Indian aircraft had been shot down in the latest armed conflict over Kashmir and other disputed regions along the South Asian neighbours’ border.
India has yet to comment on the claim.
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Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s foreign minister, separately told parliament that it was J-10C jets that shot down the Indian warplanes, with the five including three Rafale fighter jets.
“Our jet fighters ... shot down Indian Rafales, three Rafales [that] are French,” said Dar. “Ours were J-10C. All of these are jet fighters in collaboration with China.”
If confirmed, it would be the Chinese fighter jet’s first known air-to-air kill recorded in live combat. It would also mark the first loss of Rafale aircraft in combat.
CNN quoted a French intelligence official as saying one Rafale operated by India had been downed by Pakistan, adding that they were looking into whether more than one had met the same fate.
Debris that appeared to come from Chinese PL-15E missiles was also found in Punjab, India, on Wednesday, according to local media reports.
That could suggest the Pakistani forces fired the missiles from J-10C or JF-17C Block 3 aircraft – the only two compatible jet platforms known to be active in the region.
The PL-15E missile is the export version of the PL-15 air-to-air stand-off missile. The original PL-15 has a dual-pulse solid-propellant rocket motor that can reach Mach 5 speed and is guided by an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar seeker with midcourse datalink updates. The export version reportedly has an inferior motor, with the range reduced from 300km to 145km.
As for the J-10, the single-engine, multirole combat aircraft was designed and made by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group. It entered service in the Chinese air force from 2003.
The J-10C is the most upgraded version of the series, equipped with a better engine and more advanced AESA radar. It can launch PL-15 missiles and is described as a 4.5-generation fighter.
Outside China, the Pakistani air force is the only other operator of the J-10C fighter. The PAF in 2020 ordered 36 of the export version of the J-10CE, together with 250 PL-15E missiles. The first batch of six planes was delivered in 2022, and to date, 20 J-10C are in service in the PAF.
In January 2024, the J-10Cs took part in the model’s first-ever, cross-border live combat mission, escorting the PAF’s other fighter jets and drones to conduct an air strike inside Iran against Baloch separatist groups. Those J-10Cs did not engage in air combat.
Egypt has voiced interest in the jet. An Egyptian military officer was filmed sitting in a J-10C during a bilateral joint drill that ended on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan is planning to replace its Soviet-era fighters and is reportedly deciding between the J-10C and Rafale.
During his remarks before Pakistan’s parliament, Dar said the Chinese ambassador to Islamabad and his team went to his office at 4am Wednesday following the military actions and that the two sides communicated “all details”.
“Being a friendly country, they expressed great happiness,” the foreign minister said.
More from South China Morning Post:
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- Kashmir tensions: India strikes at Pakistan as Islamabad vows retaliation
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