Open-source information suggests that the Indian Air Force likely suffered damage during the attack, potentially including the loss of several aircraft.
Tensions between India and Pakistan are escalating to an alarming level after Indian air strikes in Pakistan and Kashmir on Wednesday morning local time. In the aftermath of those strikes, Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter jets. New Delhi has not verified those claims.
India and Pakistan Are on the Brink of War
The current conflict began after a group of terrorists attacked the Indian portion of the disputed Kashmir territory on April 22, killing more than two dozen people. In the days following the terror attack, the Indian and Pakistani militaries exchanged artillery fire, which resulted in several casualties.
Then, on Wednesday, India further escalated its response with air strikes against nine terrorist positions in Pakistan and the Pakistan-occupied portion of Kashmir.
The Pakistani military claims to have shot down five Indian fighter jets, including three French-made Dassault Rafales, one MiG-29, and one Su-30, as well as one Heron unmanned aerial system. Islamabad has yet to provide concrete evidence to support its claims. However, open-source information suggests that the Indian Air Force likely suffered damage during the attack, potentially including the loss of several aircraft. Of course, the situation remains fluid, and open-source reports can sometimes be misleading.
Pakistan has denied any role in the April 22 terror attack. India, however, maintains that the terrorists were linked to Islamabad.
India and Pakistan Often Fight Small-Scale Wars
Military clashes between the two countries are not new. Although the last full-scale conflict between India and Pakistan ended in 1999—shortly after both countries acquired nuclear weapons—New Delhi and Islamabad often clash locally following militant attacks. However, this is the first time the Indian military has struck so deep within Pakistani territory since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Kashmir borders India and Pakistan. Both countries claim full sovereignty over the region, but each controls only a portion of it.
Since the independence and partition of India in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought three major conflicts and several skirmishes over Kashmir. The most recent clash was in 2019, when Pakistani militants attacked the Indian portion of the region, killing scores of paramilitary personnel. The Indian military responded with air strikes inside Pakistan.
India Built Up Its Air Force in Preparation for Conflict
The renewed tensions with Pakistan over Kashmir find the Indian Air Force at a point of change. New Delhi has invested a lot in the modernization of its armed forces over the past decade, and the Indian Air Force is in the midst of shifting from a Cold War fighter jet fleet to one suited for the demands of the 21st century. As a result of this ongoing process of modernization, the Indian military’s fighter jet arsenal is truly multinational, with representation from France, Russia, and the United Kingdom.
As of 2025, the Indian Air Force includes approximately 250 Sukhoi Su-30 Flanker jets, 100 SEPECAT Jaguars, 50 Mikoyan MiG-29s, 45 Dassault Mirage 2000s, 30 indigenously-produced HAL Tejas jets, and 30 Dassault Rafales.
New Delhi is looking to upgrade its air power capabilities further with the addition of more than 100 fifth-generation stealth fighter jets. President Donald Trump has indicated a willingness to sell the F-35 Lightning II, the most advanced fighter jet in the skies today, to India. Russia is also vying for the contract, pitching its advanced—though problematic—Su-57 Felon.
One thing is clear: a potential full-scale conflict with Pakistan will test India’s fighter jet fleet to the limit.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Shutterstock / Srinivasan.Clicks.
