India vs Pakistan: The battle for air superiority

India Today

04-06-2025

(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated June 9, 2025)As the dust settles over the India-Pakistan conflict—triggered by India's missile strikes on nine terrorist hubs in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province in response to the Islamabad-sponsored terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April—it is time for a reckoning of how the two adversaries fared. Uniquely, over four intense, dramatic days (May 7-10), the theatre of war was the skies on either side of the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border. Airpower was the key factor, manifested not in the dogfights of yore, but their modern equivalent, comprising precise strikes, electronic warfare and smart coordination between aircraft, ground radars and airborne early warning and control system (AEW&CS)/ Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. Drones and missiles were used aplenty by Pakistan, and India's multi-layered air defence (AD) system rose to the occasion like never before. According to the Indian Army, its air defence units neutralised nearly 800-900 Pakistani drones during Operation Sindoor.advertisementIf, early on May 7, the Pakistani air defence had no immediate answer to the loitering munitions/ kamikaze drones, and SCALP/ Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles and HAMMER bombs fired from the Rafales of the Indian Air Force (IAF) that destroyed the terrorist camps, the Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) J-10CEs, F-16s and JF-17 fighter jets did pose a threat. Indeed, Pakistan has claimed—without definitive proof or explicit acknowledgement from India—that several Indian jets were lost. Significantly, wary of each other's missiles, particularly those launched beyond visual range (BVR), both forces operated well within their respective air space. However, on May 8 and 10, after Indian missile and drone strikes took out vital Pakistani air defence radars in Lahore and Karachi—one precious PAF AWACS was reportedly lost too—its air defence systems were rendered toothless, largely driving the PAF from the skies. So, after Pakistan targeted Indian air bases and military installations with drones and missiles on May 9 and 10—almost all of which were intercepted and shot to pieces—it was helpless before India's retaliatory barrage of SCALP and BrahMos supersonic missiles, fired by aircraft and from the ground on eight Pakistani air bases, including the Nur Khan base near Rawalpindi, the general headquarters of the Pakistan army. Thus chastened, Pakistan is said to have called for a ceasefire.advertisementOperation Sindoor was a demonstration of Indian precision and reach, and showcased India's capability to strike any target in Pakistan at will. Frank O'Donnell, senior research adviser at the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network and non-resident fellow at the Stimson Center, says that it signals India's ability for precision strikes on targets within each base and suggests its implicit capacity to incapacitate these bases if desired. 'The very short flight time of India's air-to-ground missiles, and especially its reported use of the supersonic BrahMos, leveraged the continuing challenge for Pakistan of operationalising missile defence systems and the extreme difficulty of blocking cruise missile strikes. However, this challenge is also shared by India,' he says.
OPPOSING AIR WARRIORSThough in recent decades India has held a qualitative and numerical advantage in air superiority over Pakistan, the latter's acquisition of sophisticated Chinese aircraft has led analysts to suggest that the technological disparity is narrowing.advertisementAmong India's frontline fighter jets, the Mirage 2000H, armed with the Thales RDY radar (range: 100-130 km) and MICA missiles (both beyond visual range or BVR and short range or SR, with a reach of 60-80 km), excels in precision strikes but has an ageing airframe. The MiG-29UPG, with Zhuk-ME radar (range: 120 km) and R-77 missiles (BVR, with a range of 80-100 km) is agile, but lags in networking. The Su-30MKI, equipped with a Bars PESA radar (or a Passive Electronically Scanned Array radar with a 200 km range) and BrahMos missiles, offers long-range strike capability but has a large radar cross-section, meaning it can be detected by enemy radars. The Rafale has an RBE2 AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar and SPECTRA electronic warfare suite, which ensures data fusion across electromagnetic, laser and infrared domains to protect it from threats. Both PESA and AESA radars can track multiple targets at once. The Rafale, armed with Meteor and SCALP missiles and HAMMER precision-guided munition, is India's most advanced jet, but its small fleet size limits impact.On the other side, Pakistan's Chinese J-10C fighters, armed with PL-15E BVR missiles, and equipped with dual-pulse motors and AESA seekers, mounted a challenge for the IAF. The J-10CE's AESA radar and its integration with Saab 2000 Erieye AEWC enables long-range engagements, while the JF-17's KLJ-7A radar is less capable but still effective with networked support.advertisementOperation Sindoor drew global attention to a possible aerial duel between the Rafale and J-10C fighters—both 4.5-generation multirole fighters. 'Rafale is a proven platform, as it has been used in combat in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq and Syria, while J-10 C has not seen any combat,' says a key IAF official.Military aviation experts claim that Pakistan's J-10C, manufactured by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, lags behind the Rafale, made by the French firm Dassault, in armament. The J-10C has 11 hardpoints (mounting points to carry weapons) and a six-tonne load capacity. The Rafale has 14 hardpoints and a nine-tonne capacity, including nuclear-capable munitions. The Rafale's 24-tonne take-off weight exceeds the J-10C's 19 tonnes, offering greater payload flexibility, though the J-10C reaches a higher 18,000-metre ceiling, compared to the Rafale's 16,000 metres. The J-10C excels in high-altitude performance; the Rafale dominates in versatility and range. Experts say that the Rafale holds a slight edge in terms of sensor fusion and missile performance. However, uncertainty persists over Pakistan's unverified claims of downing Indian jets, including Rafales.advertisement'Public evidence does not confirm that a Rafale was downed by a J-10C-fired PL-15E missile. However, the loss of at least one Rafale demands an urgent review of technical and tactical vulnerabilities,' notes O'Donnell. He adds that Pakistan and China have valuable combat data about western aircraft, aiding their fighter modernisation, while Pakistan's swift acquisition of Chinese platforms outpaces India's sluggish defence procurement, exacerbating the IAF's declining squadron strength.Defence analyst Shreyas Deshmukh, research associate at the Delhi Policy Group, says that the Rafale vs J-10C comparison reflects a contest for battlefield superiority, given their similar capabilities. Though debris, including PL-15E remnants and possible MICA missile fragments from an IAF jet, were reportedly recovered, Deshmukh asserts that 'no concrete evidence supports claims of aerial losses on either side'.
INDIA'S AIR DEFENCE EDGEadvertisementFor India, the real positive to have emerged from Operation Sindoor is the overwhelming success of its integrated air defence system. The two units that synergised perfectly to nullify all projectiles hurled at India are the IAF's Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) and the army's Akashteer. The IACCS is an automated command and control system that integrates data at its control centres from air defence assets like ground-based radar, airborne sensors, AWACS/ AEW&CS, communication nodes and IAF command and control centres. The consolidated data along with real-time updates gives commanders of air defence units an overall situational awareness and full battlefield picture to respond to incoming aerial threats. Similarly, the army's Akashteer is an air defence control and reporting system comprising radars and sensors that are connected to units of its air defence.With the integration of the resources of IACCS and Akashteer, the Indian air defence threw up a layered grid. The first layer comprises counter drone systems like D4 and MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defence Systems) like Igla-M and Igla-S, while the second layer has low-level air defence (LLAD) guns like Bofors L-70 and ZSU-23-4 Schilka self-propelled system, and short-range surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) like Pechora, Tunguska and OSA-AK. The third and fourth layers have medium- and long-range SAMs like Pechora, SPYDER, the indigenous Akash and the long-range S-400 Triumf and Barak-8 missile defence systems. India's counter-unmanned aerial system (UAS) technologies also played a major role in detecting and neutralising Pakistani drones. This multi-layered air defence network not only protected Indian air bases, army installations, airports and cities, but also protected Amritsar's Golden Temple from a Pakistani drone and missile attack.
In contrast, Pakistan's Chinese HQ-9 and HQ-16 air defence systems failed to detect and intercept the devastating Indian strikes on its air bases on May 10. Early on May 10, Indian strikes took out a Chinese-made LY80 air defence system using a Harpy kamikaze drone at Lahore, while a missile destroyed an HQ-9 system in Karachi. Comparative analysis also suggests that the S-400 surpasses the HQ-9 in performance. 'India's multi-layered air defence systems exhibited greater effectiveness in deployment and integration than their Pakistani counterparts,' a key defence official said.
Defence analysts say that for the past two decades, as a probable counter to India's Cold Start Doctrine, which envisages short, swift strikes into Pakistan that would avoid a nuclear escalation, Pakistan has been buying mostly offensive weaponry. 'In contrast, India's strategic focus was on technological advancement and indigenous production, leading to investments in radars such as the ADTCR, Ashwini and Indra (electronically scanned array radars), sensor processing systems, jamming devices, and electronic warfare systems, including drone jammers as well as counter-battery radars,' says Deshmukh. The development of missile systems such as BrahMos and Akash, coupled with the timely procurement of the S-400, has provided India with a significant advantage in non-contact warfare, he adds. Thus, Pakistan's investment in offensive weapons lays bare its weak air defence capabilities, leaving its command and control exposed.Ultimately, the conflict reaffirmed that modern warfare is driven by air power, not merely in terms of aircraft but through sensors, missiles, data networks, electronic warfare and unmanned systems. 'Operation Sindoor is a testimony to the power of a capable air force,' notes a senior defence analyst. 'But no country can win future wars without continuous investment in modern air platforms and integrated defence networks.' Despite its strong showing, experts argue that India must not become complacent. The IAF's thinning squadron strength and the slow induction of next-gen air dominance fighters leave gaps that adversaries may exploit in the future.Subscribe to India Today MagazineMust Watch