Rawalpindi, Pakistan – Amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions and a history of military skirmishes, Pakistan is asserting that its Air Force (PAF) achieved decisive air dominance during the brief but intense conflict with India in May 2025. Islamabad claims its fighter jets successfully engaged and shot down at least six Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft, including advanced Rafale jets, marking a significant turn in aerial combat narratives between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
The May 2025 conflict, referred to as “Operation Sindoor” by India, erupted following a terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam town. India accused Pakistan of complicity, a charge denied by Islamabad. The ensuing days saw escalating cross-border exchanges, with aerial confrontations becoming a central, albeit highly contested, aspect of the hostilities.
Pakistan’s Account: An “Undisputed King of the Skies”
Pakistani military officials and defense analysts have been vocal in detailing what they describe as a resounding victory in the skies. According to Pakistan’s narrative, the PAF swiftly responded to Indian aggression, effectively neutralizing IAF incursions.
Reports from Pakistani media and defense journals, such as Defence Security Asia and Islamabad Post, detail that the PAF shot down six Indian jets on the night of May 6-7, including:
- Three Dassault Rafale fighter jets
- One Sukhoi Su-30MKI
- One MiG-29
- One Mirage 2000
These sources emphasize the role of Pakistan’s Chinese-origin Chengdu J-10C multirole fighters, which reportedly utilized PL-15E Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles. “The loss of three 4.5 generation French Rafales to Chinese PL-15 BVRAAMs fired from J-10C has not only recorded the first-ever confirmed kill against a Rafale but also proven that Chinese weapon systems can perform even better when employed professionally,” wrote Dr. Naveed Khaliq Ansaree in the Islamabad Post. He further stated that the PAF “etched a new textbook of the ‘Decisive Air Dominance,’ and a notion of an invisible kill-chain for the Indian Air Force.”
Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was quoted by Defence Security Asia stating that the PAF had “locked on to 20 Indian fighter jets on the first night… but only shot down six of those that dropped their payloads over Pakistani territory,” exercising calculated restraint to avoid further escalation. Pakistani sources also claim that IAF jets were effectively grounded for two days following the initial losses.
International Reporting: A Nuanced Picture of Conflicting Claims
While Pakistani media and officials have asserted comprehensive aerial dominance, prominent international news agencies have largely maintained a more cautious stance, reporting on the claims from both sides while noting the difficulty of independent verification in the immediate aftermath of such conflicts.
However, several international reports did lend some credence to Pakistan’s claims regarding specific aerial losses:
- Reuters, citing senior U.S. officials, reported that “PAF J-10C fighters were ‘responsible for downing at least two Indian jets’.”
- CNN’s chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, reported that “French intelligence confirmed at least one Indian Rafale had been shot down by Pakistan.” CNN also characterized the air battle as “one of the largest and longest in modern aviation history,” involving over 125 fighter aircraft from both countries.
- Dawn, a leading Pakistani newspaper, reported that the wreckage from a downed Indian Mirage 2000 aircraft was found near Pampore in Indian-administered Kashmir, with a photograph showing debris with a French manufacturer’s label, echoing reports seen in the Washington Post.
India’s Narrative and Admission of Losses
India, on its part, has maintained a counter-narrative, focusing on its own successful strikes against Pakistani targets and initially denying any significant aircraft losses. However, a crucial shift occurred at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 31, 2025.
India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan admitted that the Indian Air Force did suffer “losses of fighter jets” during the conflict with Pakistan. While he did not specify the number or type of aircraft, he denied Pakistan’s claim of six jets, stating that “numbers are not important.” Instead, General Chauhan emphasized that the IAF quickly “rectified tactics” after the initial setbacks and subsequently launched “large numbers” of jets to strike “airbases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their air defenses with impunity, carried out precision strikes” on May 7, 8, and 10. This admission, reported by outlets like Al Jazeera and Reuters, marked the first official acknowledgement of IAF losses from a high-ranking Indian official.
Indian media, such as the Times of India and India Today, also presented their own version of events, claiming that the IAF destroyed six Pakistani fighter jets, two high-value surveillance aircraft, one C-130 transport aircraft, over 30 missiles, and multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during “Operation Sindoor.” They emphasized that IAF strikes were “calibrated” and targeted terror infrastructure, not civilian areas, and that India’s air defenses successfully intercepted Pakistani missiles and drones. However, unlike the detailed briefings by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) that often include evidence like electronic signatures, India’s military spokesperson hasn’t conducted a similar comprehensive session presenting verifiable proofs.
Conclusion: A Contested Aerial Landscape
The aerial engagements of May 2025 remain a subject of intense debate, with both Pakistan and India presenting starkly different accounts of the outcomes. While Pakistan has consistently claimed a decisive victory in the skies, citing specific aircraft downed and asserting operational superiority, backed by technical briefings presenting evidence like electronic signatures, India has acknowledged some losses while maintaining its narrative of successful retaliatory strikes and denial of the full extent of Pakistani claims.
The limited, often qualified, corroboration from international news agencies underscores the fog of war in modern conflicts and the challenges of verifying claims amidst competing national narratives. Nevertheless, the conflict undoubtedly highlighted the evolving nature of air warfare in South Asia, with both air forces demonstrating advanced capabilities and the potential for rapid escalation. The debate over who truly “dominated” the skies in May 2025 is likely to continue for some time, shaping future defense procurements and strategic doctrines in the region.
