Islamabad/Washington, May 8, 2025: A Chinese-made Pakistani fighter jet shot down at least two Indian military aircraft on Wednesday, according to two U.S. officials speaking to Reuters, marking a significant operational milestone for Beijing’s advanced combat aircraft.
The reported engagement is drawing close scrutiny in Washington, as military analysts assess how Chinese airpower could perform against Western-built systems in potential flashpoints such as Taiwan or the wider Indo-Pacific region.
One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was “high confidence” that Pakistan deployed the J-10 fighter jet—manufactured by China—to fire air-to-air missiles that brought down at least two Indian jets. A second official confirmed that at least one of the downed aircraft was a French-made Rafale fighter.
Notably, both U.S. officials confirmed that Pakistan’s American-made F-16s, built by Lockheed Martin, were not used in the shootdown, distancing the incident from potential U.S. military entanglements.
India, however, has not acknowledged the loss of any of its aircraft. New Delhi claims it carried out successful precision strikes against what it describes as “terrorist infrastructure” inside Pakistani territory.
Global powers including the United States, Russia, and China have since urged both nations to de-escalate, warning of the grave risks of conflict in one of the world’s most densely populated nuclear flashpoints.
Reuters previously reported, citing Indian local officials, that three Indian jets had been shot down—this latest U.S. confirmation is the first official Western acknowledgment that Chinese-made aircraft were involved in the engagement.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif reinforced the claim on Thursday, telling Reuters that three of the downed Indian planes were Rafale fighters. According to him, the J-10 was solely responsible for the shootdowns.
Altogether, Pakistan maintains that it downed five Indian jets during the air-to-air combat operation.
Representatives from Dassault Aviation, which manufactures the Rafale, and MBDA, the European consortium behind the Meteor missile system used on the aircraft, were unavailable for comment due to a public holiday in France.
