Falcon26
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Mansoor Ahmed and his co-writer detail India’s unprecedented failure during the February skirmishes with Pakistan. Threats of using missiles against Pakistan underscored the reality of the IAF as New Delhi wasn’t willing to torment itself with more humiliations. Failure of India’s highly advertised air defense systems hasn’t been adquetly discussed. Link provided at the end.
India and Pakistan's Crisis Means a New Arms Race
What is certain is that the ensuing aerial engagement between the Indian and Pakistani air-forces was a seminal event between two rival air-forces operating in a net-centric environment, backed by Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems (AWACs), ground sensors and electronic warfare. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was able to carry out its retaliatory strikes at six places across the LoC in Indian Occupied Kashmir on the morning of February 27 by employing stand-off weapons, effectively neutralizing India’s formidable multi-layered Air Defence Ground Environment System and Integrated Air Defence System.
The intercepting IAF formation, comprised of eight aircraft (SU-30 MKI, Mirage 2000 and Mig-21 Bison aircraft) was backed by Phalcon AWACS, against the PAF’s twenty-four aircraft strike formation (comprising JF-17s and ROSE Mirage-III/V aircraft) which were perceived to be inferior to the IAF front-line aircraft. The PAF force was also supported by Erieye and ZDK-03 AWACS.
The IAF was unable to destroy any Pakistani aircraft even though the PAF took on a much larger, better-equipped IAF backed by a seemingly formidable multi-layered air defense network. In the ensuing air-battle, PAF JF-17s shot down a Mig-21 Bison whose debris and pilot fell inside Pakistani territory. That pilot was taken into custody while an SU-30 MKI was also shot down. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was later forced to lament the absence of the French Rafale which he hoped might have produced better results for the IAF, and the IAF Western Command’s Air Officer was consequently removed. This implies that while the IAF continues to operate and add new types of aircraft in its existing inventory, it appears to be struggling to maintain an efficient pilot ratio, severability of aircraft and interoperability of an assortment of French, Israeli, Russian and British assets. As a result, the outcome is impacted along with IAF sortie generation capability during a prolonged conflict.
Conversely, India brought nuclear connotations in crisis after Pakistan’s air-strike, by swiftly operating its naval combat units that included its nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), INS Arihant, along with other destroyers, submarines and frigates. Reportedly, India was also prepared to vertically escalate following the PAF’s matching response, not through the IAF as New Delhi was not willing to risk any further losses. Instead, India considered using ballistic and/or Brahmos cruise missile strikes against key Pakistani military targets. India was only deterred once Pakistan signaled it would swiftly engage in a three-fold disproportionate retaliation against Indian targets.
https://news.yahoo.com/amphtml/india-pakistans-crisis-means-arms-151400146.html
India and Pakistan's Crisis Means a New Arms Race
What is certain is that the ensuing aerial engagement between the Indian and Pakistani air-forces was a seminal event between two rival air-forces operating in a net-centric environment, backed by Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems (AWACs), ground sensors and electronic warfare. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was able to carry out its retaliatory strikes at six places across the LoC in Indian Occupied Kashmir on the morning of February 27 by employing stand-off weapons, effectively neutralizing India’s formidable multi-layered Air Defence Ground Environment System and Integrated Air Defence System.
The intercepting IAF formation, comprised of eight aircraft (SU-30 MKI, Mirage 2000 and Mig-21 Bison aircraft) was backed by Phalcon AWACS, against the PAF’s twenty-four aircraft strike formation (comprising JF-17s and ROSE Mirage-III/V aircraft) which were perceived to be inferior to the IAF front-line aircraft. The PAF force was also supported by Erieye and ZDK-03 AWACS.
The IAF was unable to destroy any Pakistani aircraft even though the PAF took on a much larger, better-equipped IAF backed by a seemingly formidable multi-layered air defense network. In the ensuing air-battle, PAF JF-17s shot down a Mig-21 Bison whose debris and pilot fell inside Pakistani territory. That pilot was taken into custody while an SU-30 MKI was also shot down. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was later forced to lament the absence of the French Rafale which he hoped might have produced better results for the IAF, and the IAF Western Command’s Air Officer was consequently removed. This implies that while the IAF continues to operate and add new types of aircraft in its existing inventory, it appears to be struggling to maintain an efficient pilot ratio, severability of aircraft and interoperability of an assortment of French, Israeli, Russian and British assets. As a result, the outcome is impacted along with IAF sortie generation capability during a prolonged conflict.
Conversely, India brought nuclear connotations in crisis after Pakistan’s air-strike, by swiftly operating its naval combat units that included its nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), INS Arihant, along with other destroyers, submarines and frigates. Reportedly, India was also prepared to vertically escalate following the PAF’s matching response, not through the IAF as New Delhi was not willing to risk any further losses. Instead, India considered using ballistic and/or Brahmos cruise missile strikes against key Pakistani military targets. India was only deterred once Pakistan signaled it would swiftly engage in a three-fold disproportionate retaliation against Indian targets.
https://news.yahoo.com/amphtml/india-pakistans-crisis-means-arms-151400146.html
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