China’s warplane that can take on western technology: How Pakistan used Beijing-made J-10 ‘Vigorous Dragon’ to ‘take out India’s French-made Rafele jets’ as nuclear powers fought over Kashmir

China’s ‘Vigorous Dragon’ warplanes and state-of-the-art missiles have been battle-tested against Western tech for the first time – seemingly resulting in the downing of a French jet.

A dogfight between the air forces of nuclear-armed neighbours Pakistan and India reportedly saw several Indian fighter jets shot down last week, with at least one of the aircraft believed to be a French-made Rafale.

Islamabad used the Chinese-made Chengdu J-10C fighter planes in the air-to-air combat operation, which Pakistani officials said involved more than 100 aircraft in total.

Neither side crossed the border during the ‘stand-off’ conflict, but reports suggested Indian jets were downed inside India and in Indian-administered Kashmir.

A French intelligence source confirmed to CNN last Wednesday that at least one Rafale jet had been shot down – making it the first of the advanced 4.5 generation aircraft to be lost in combat.

Now the performance of the Chinese jets is being closely monitored by Washington and its allies for potential insights into how Beijing may fare in a possible showdown over Taiwan or the wider Indo-Pacific.

Experts have said the operation shows the J-10’s capabilities have been ‘proven on the world stage’, with Chengdu Aircraft Corporation’s stock surging by a third indicating investor confidence.

Meanwhile the successful display of the J-10’s capabilities has rung alarm bells in Western defence circles, with suggestions that it could be a game changer in the global arms trade.

Hu Jixin, the former editor of the state-owned Chinese media outlet Global Times, said the display showed that ‘China’s level of military manufacturing has completely surpassed that of Russia and France’.

He added that the battlefield success meant Taiwan should feel ‘even more scared’.

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China’s J-10 fighter jets perform during a media demonstration in Thailand in November 2015

Illustrative image shows Indian Rafale jets during a fly past in India in February 2021

Dr Farrukh Salem, a Pakistani political scientist, wrote of the news: ‘The downing of a Rafale by a J-10C will do three things: legitimise the J-10C as a credible competitor to Western jets like the Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, and F-16V; reshape fighter acquisition preferences in developing countries; and boost Chinese defence exports.’

Around 80 per cent of Pakistan’s military equipment is made in China, which delivered its first batch of J-10 jets to Islamabad in 2022. 

The single-engine J-10 can carry air-to-air weapons, anti-ship missiles, precision-guided bombs and rockets.

The PL-15 missile features in its arsenal, and pictures circulating on Indian media suggest that one may have been used during the clash with Pakistan on Wednesday.

The weapon has never been used in combat before, and while Indian authorities have not confirmed its use, the missile’s exceptionally long range would tally with the long-distance, cross-border warfare pilots engaged in on Wednesday.

The J-10 – which has been constantly upgraded since it was unveiled in the 2000s – is designed to be flexible and competent in both air-to-air combat and ground attack missions. 

The light fighter uses Russian technology and is seen as China’s version of American F-16s and Sweden’s Saab Gripen jets.

‘Think of the J-10C as roughly equivalent to a late-model F-16, but with some features – like its long-range missile suite – that could give it the edge in certain scenarios,’ David Jordan, a defence studies lecturer at King’s College London, told Business Insider.

The image appears to show Pakistan’s military firing a missile at targets in India

What appear to be red projectiles are seen streaking across the night sky in the city of Srinagar, in Indian controlled Kashmir on Saturday evening

The Rafale and the model of the J-10 used by Pakistan are both considered generation 4.5 fighter jets, placing them at the leading edge of combat aircraft.

The J-10C has upgraded radar systems from earlier models, featuring the Chinese Type 1475 AESA radar, similar to the French Thales RBE2 used in the Rafale. 

While both aircraft have supersonic capabilities, the J-10C is faster, topping out at Mach 2.2 compared to the Rafale’s Mach 1.8. 

Meanwhile the Rafale has greater operational range – 3,700 km to the J-10C’s 2,940 km – making it better suited for longer missions. 

Western analysts said the live use of some of the advanced weapons that could be deployed in future conflicts would be scrutinized in minute detail, but emphasised on Friday that it was too early to draw firm conclusions.

‘Air warfare communities in China, the US and a number of European countries will be extremely interested to try and get as much ground truth as they can on tactics, techniques, procedures, what kit was used, what worked and what didn’t,’ said Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

The conflict erupted early Wednesday local time when India pounded Kashmir with missiles 

Defence experts warned against taking the J-10’s apparent success as proof of its superiority, with suggestions that pilot error on the Indian side, among other factors, could have been at play.

Responding to a question on whether the force suffered losses, the Indian Air Force said on Sunday that ‘losses are a part of combat’ without giving details but added that all its pilots were back home after fighting with Pakistan last week.

Dozens of people died as the arch rivals sent drones and other munitions into each other’s airspace over four days, a fortnight after an attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people.

New Delhi said the attack was backed by Islamabad, an accusation Pakistan denied.

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