The Indo-Pak air battle that broke out on May 7 ended up being one-sided. Why did this happen?
Some say it was due to the J-10C, others credit the powerful PL-15 missile. So, are these statements accurate?
They are both right and wrong. The key to Pakistan’s victory was not any single Chinese weapon, but the combat system capabilities that China provided. This gave them the ability to strike the Indian Air Force from a higher dimension.
A Battle That May Rewrite Air Combat History
This air battle on May 7 will go down in history as the first system-based air combat, marking the beginning of a new era—one without ace pilots, and without air combat heroes.
How the Battle Unfolded
1. Early Warning and Detection
After India launched a missile strike on Pakistan, the Pakistani military decided to retaliate. They first deployed a ZDK-03 (the export version of the KJ-500) AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) aircraft, which detected Indian Rafale and Su-30 fighters on combat duty.
Although these fighters were still within Indian airspace, the KJ-500 has a detection range of nearly 600 kilometers, so it spotted them with ease.
2. Silent Approach
Next, Pakistan’s air command immediately ordered missile-equipped fighters to take off. Whether they were JF-17 or J-10C didn’t matter; what mattered was that they were Chinese fighters—because only these could carry Chinese-made air-to-air missiles, which were the key to the upcoming engagement.
The J-10C, carrying medium- and long-range air-to-air missiles, approached the enemy under guidance from the ZDK03, flying at ultra-low altitude and maintaining radio silence, aiming to avoid detection by Indian ground-based early warning radar.
As for the Indian fighters, whether Rafale or Su-30, although their radars have a nominal detection range of over 100 kilometers, their actual detection range for low-flying aircraft is very short due to interference from ground clutter. Effective detection distance is typically only a few dozen kilometers.
Therefore, during the Pakistani J-10C approach, the Indian side was completely unaware, while Pakistan’s KJ-500/ZDK03 had a full picture of the battlefield. This was a one-sided, transparent air battle.
3. The Strike
Once the Pakistani J-10C fighters reached strike range, the AEW&C aircraft ZDK03 ordered them to climb and immediately launch their missiles. After firing, the J-10C fighters dropped back to ultra-low altitude to minimize exposure time.
During this process, even if the Indian side noticed the Pakistani J-10C fighters climbing, they would not be alarmed—because the Pakistani aircraft J-10C did not use radar to illuminate the Indian Rafale fighters, showing no signs of attack.
Then the Pakistani J-10C fighters quickly disappeared again, further confusing Indian pilots, who might assume it was a false radar signal.
The critical moment followed. Pakistan launched its Chinese-made PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles, which feature a dual-pulse motor. This allowed the missile to rapidly climb to a higher altitude in the shortest time possible—gaining a superior attack angle—before shutting off both its engine and internal guidance system to enter a silent glide phase.
During this glide, the PL-15 continuously received updated target coordinates from the ZDK-03/KJ-500 AEW&C aircraft via secure data link, allowing it to adjust its flight path in real time without ever turning on its own seeker.
Meanwhile, the J-10C fighters that launched the missiles did not need to activate their radar or lock onto enemy aircraft. Their role was limited to minimal electronic warfare interference, while the actual targeting and tracking were handled entirely by the airborne command system.
Whether it was the French-made Rafale or the Russian-made Su-30, their electronic countermeasure systems rely on detecting radar lock signals from enemy fighters to trigger alerts and initiate countermeasures.
At that moment, the only signal they could detect came from the AEW&C aircraft hundreds of kilometers away—just conventional surveillance signals. There were no radar lock-on signals from any fighter, and no hostile fighters were found within threat range. As a result, they were completely unaware of the impending attack.
When the KJ-500/ZKD03, via data link, guided the medium- and long-range air-to-air missiles PL-15 using an “A-shooter, B-guider” method and they entered terminal guidance range, the missiles’ onboard radar activated and locked on to the enemy fighters.
4. Too Late to React
As the PL-15 missile closed in to within roughly 20 kilometers of the Indian Rafale fighter jets, its engine reignited, initiating a high-speed terminal sprint. At the same time, the missile’s onboard radar activated and locked onto its target.
Only then did the Rafale’s warning systems trigger an alert—but it was already too late.
By this point, the PL-15 was traveling at speeds of Mach 5 to Mach 6, giving the Indian pilots just over ten seconds to react. This fell well within the no-escape zone of the missile, meaning that any evasive maneuvers would be futile. The outcome was inevitable: the fighters were destined to be shot down.
Why India Lost, Despite Seemingly Equal Gear
From the moment the Pakistani attack began to when the missiles struck, the Indian pilots had no idea where the enemy was.
The air battle on May 7 was not a dogfight as many might imagine. It was not a duel between individual aircraft, nor was it a test of pilot skill. It had little to do with the performance of individual fighters. It was a cold, system-level crush. The real contest was technological capability.
Although India also has AEW&C aircraft, advanced air defense systems, and excellent fighters, the problem lies in the lack of data link sharing ability—so it cannot conduct system-based operations.
Thus, while India’s individual weapons may not lag behind Pakistan’s, when it comes to integrated combat as a system, it falls short by an entire dimension.
Only Two Countries Have True System Warfare Capability
To this day, only China and the United States possess the design and manufacturing capabilities for completely system-based warfare, with full data link sharing, supported by strong and advanced communications technologies.
In other words, whether a country can produce the full range of equipment needed for 5G communication—and master the relevant hardware and software design—will determine whether it can win the next air war.
What the Pakistan Air Force possesses is merely a miniaturized, downgraded version of China’s system. Yet even this reduced version was enough to deal a dimensional blow to India—showing just how powerful China’s system-based air combat truly is.
In addition, the J-10C is equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar based on gallium nitride (GaN) technology, which outperforms the gallium arsenide (GaAs) radar used by the French Rafale in several aspects—including detection range, number of targets tracked, and resistance to electronic interference. Since many detailed comparisons are already available online, this article won’t elaborate further.
I am not a military expert, but my goal here is to provide a simple, easy-to-understand analysis and explanation.
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