Pakistani Air Force (PAF) jets downed at least two Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter-bombers on May 7, including at least one Dassault Rafale. According to aviationweek.com, the PAF had deployed Chinese-made JF-17 and J-10 fighters to ward off IAF attacks following the Indian government’s vow to retaliate for an April 22 attack on Indian civilians executed by Kashmir Resistance, which India asserts are militants backed by Pakistan. The IAF strike on May 7 resulted in missile strikes on militant groups’ bases within Pakistan.
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Reuters was told by two U.S. government officials that the IAF jets were brought down by Chengdu J-10s. Nicknamed “Vigorous Dragon”, the J-10 is a 4.5 Generation multi-role jet that first flew in 1998. It is a single-seat, single engine aircraft that can reach Mach 1.85. The U.S. officials claim the J-10s fired PL-15 missiles, which are Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air missiles fitted to the J-10C version. The missiles have a range of up to 186 miles, or 300 kilometers. However, for the J-10s to deliver the PL-15s, the airplane needs something else besides a powerful engine and the ability to carry missiles. It needs radar.
The PAF and its Swedish AWACS
When an airplane turns on an active radar, it transmits a signal that reflects off of other aircraft. Doing so also broadcasts the aircraft’s position. To avoid giving away its position, being able to link to another aircraft’s radar to gain the initial data for the missile is a very useful capability. The PAF and its J-10s have that capability, and that’s what made it possible for the J-10s to get into position to launch without raising attention.
The other element in this equation is the ERIEYE radar mounted on a SAAB 2000 twin turboprop aircraft. Pakistan has nine of these aircraft, including one received from Sweden as late as August 2024.
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SAAB’s ERIEYE is also keeping an eye on the airspace over Ukraine, albeit on the smaller SAAB 340 turboprop. The F-16s currently in Ukraine’s air force lack the LINK-16 capability to connect to the ERIEYE. The J-10C, even in its export version, is not known to lack a link system. By using the link with ERIEYE, the J-10 would have launched and the IAF Rafale would have been unaware until the PL-15 turned on its own radar as it neared its target.
