US Confirms Pakistan Used Chinese J-10 Jets to Down Indian Fighter Aircraft

Report by Safarti Tarjuman International Desk

U.S. officials have confirmed that Pakistan deployed Chinese-made J-10 fighter jets to shoot down at least two Indian military aircraft, including a French-made Rafale, marking a significant milestone for China’s advanced combat aviation capabilities.

Speaking anonymously to Reuters, two American officials said Pakistan launched air-to-air missiles from its J-10 jets during the aerial clashes on Wednesday. The J-10, a 4.5-generation fighter jet developed by China, was used instead of U.S.-made F-16s, which Pakistan also possesses.

India has not acknowledged any aircraft losses. Instead, New Delhi has maintained that its operations targeted alleged “terrorist infrastructure” inside Pakistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan claims it downed five Indian aircraft, including three newly acquired Rafale jets.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters that the successful use of the J-10s to down advanced Rafale fighters demonstrates the country’s growing air defense capabilities. This marks the first Western confirmation of the J-10’s role in the shootdowns.

Strategic Implications Under Scrutiny

The use of Chinese fighter jets in actual combat is being closely watched by military analysts in Washington and beyond, particularly given the potential implications for a future conflict in the Indo-Pacific, including over Taiwan.

Douglas Barrie, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said air forces globally would be analyzing the tactics, technologies, and outcomes of the engagement. “We’ll be watching how the PL-15 missile performed against the European Meteor missile in real-world conditions,” he noted, referring to the primary air-to-air missiles used by the J-10 and Rafale, respectively.

However, defense analysts cautioned that it remains too early to draw concrete conclusions due to a lack of verified battlefield data and limited information on which weapons systems were deployed in the engagement.