Escalated Border Conflict: Employment of Chinese Missiles, French Jet Fighters, Israeli Drones, and Other Military Equipment by India and Pakistan
Stirring Up Controversy: The Aerial Clash Between India and Pakistan
BANGKOK (AP) - The missile and bomb strikes launched by India on Pakistani targets in Kashmir and Pakistan have ramped up tensions between these nuclear-armed neighbors. Pakistan's leader has deemed these attacks an act of war.
The information circulating about the initial attack and its aftermath has been erratic, with neither India nor Pakistan providing many specific details. Worsening the confusion, the internet has been inundated with misinformation, false claims, and manipulated visual content, according to the Soufan Center think tank. This "information warfare" is intensified by both sides' determination to save face.
With ongoing hostilities, it has proven impossible to verify many of the claims independently. However, we can gather some insights from official statements and the available information:
Chinese Aircraft, Russian Defenses, and Widespread Disinformation
Pakistan declared that it launched hypersonic missiles from a JF-17 Thunder jet, an aircraft constructed in collaboration with China, and hit a Russian-built S-400 air defense system in India's Punjab state. India refuted these claims, pledging to provide proof later.
Skip Ad
The ongoing battle has left civilians, especially those residing in border zones, in high anxiety due to the explosion of misinformation stemming from a lack of official confirmation. As Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, puts it, "It's become a remorseless race for military one-upmanship."
Pakistan also reported it utilized its Fatah-II missiles to target an Indian missile storage facility and two airbases, an attack confirmed by Indian officials, who stated they aimed retaliatory strikes at Pakistani military bases.
The extent of the damage in both attacks remains unclear. Pakistan claims it intercepted most of the Indian missiles and retaliated in response to India's reprisal strike.
Pakistani Claims of Downed Indian Planes
Following India's retaliatory attack earlier Wednesday, in response to the massacre of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir last month, Pakistan's military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif claimed that the Pakistan air force had shot down five Indian attack aircraft: three French-made Rafales, a Russian-made SU30MKI, and a Russian-made MiG-29. No casualties were reported for the Pakistani air force, with all planes returning safely to base.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif repeated the claim, asserting that the Pakistani air force had the chance to shoot down 10 Indian planes but showed restraint, choosing to hit only the five attacking Pakistani targets. He stated that overall, 80 Indian planes participated in the attack.
India has yet to acknowledge any losses, though debris from three aircraft has been discovered in various locations.
Unclear Engagements without Witness Reports or Video
India possesses all three types of jets among its more than 700 combat capable fighter aircraft, as per the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Military Balance report. All three aircraft are capable of carrying bombs or missiles for ground attacks.
Pakistan and India have both stated that their planes did not leave their home airspace, suggesting that if Pakistan's account is accurate, the Pakistani pilots fired multiple air-to-air missiles at long distances to take down Indian planes, rather than a dogfight over Kashmir's skies.
Skip Ad
Assuming India retaliated, even though Pakistan claimed no damage to its planes, the aerial skirmish would have been quite the spectacle, but there have been no eyewitness reports or video footage posted to social media. It is certain that Indian planes were in the air and attacked at least nine targets, with debris from three planes found. It is also possible that Pakistan used surface-to-air missiles to hit Indian planes, which the conflict in Ukraine has shown to be highly effective, potentially minimizing the risk to Pakistani planes.
Pakistan's Use of Chinese Technology
Pakistan's air force includes U.S.-made F-16s, French Mirage fighters, and the new Chinese-built J-10C, as well as the JF-17. In addition to American air-to-air missiles, Pakistan also possesses several Chinese products in its arsenal, including the PL-12 and PL-15, both of which can be used to target enemies beyond visual range.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told lawmakers that it was the J-10C that shot down the Indian aircraft, suggesting the possible use of Chinese-built missiles.
Skip Ad
"It's intriguing to observe Pakistan relying on its Chinese equipment rather than the F-16s it received from the United States during a similar confrontation six years ago," said Lisa Curtis, director of the Indo-Pacific security program at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington think tank.
The news prompted traders with shares in AVIC Chengdu Aircraft, which produces both the J-10C and J-17, to see large gains on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The stock of Dassault Aviation, the maker of the Rafale jet, which Pakistan claims to have shot down, witnessed a sharp drop on Wednesday on the Paris Stock Exchange, though it had recovered by close on Thursday.
- The ongoing battle between India and Pakistan, although mainly centered around politics and aerospace, has also impacted the finance industry, as the stocks of related companies in China and France have shown significant fluctuations due to the outcome of the aerial clash.
- The Seattle-based technology industry could potentially be drawn into this international conflict, as both nations' air forces employ a mixture of American, Russian, French, and Chinese technology in their arsenals, raising questions about technology transfer and potential technology sanctions.
