This is great post.
India was on war footing, its media was on overdrive and its political class were salivating for war, yet the events of feb 27th seriously dented belief in their military. Modi’s Rafale regret weren’t without merit. Pakistan clearly had superior battle-plan and application of technology, firepower over the given battlespace which took the Indians by surprise. The ongoing fixation of the fictitious F-16 downing is a face-saving tactic. Modi’s threat of nuclear weapons also further illustrated a failure of India’s conventional forces. India broke its no first use policy, and that’s not without significance. Presents a convincing example of the breakdown of India’s conventional forces in the face by PAF’s onslaught.