India and Pakistan Air Wars: How Two Air Forces Compare

India and Pakistan, the South Asian nuclear-armed neighbors that have engaged in hostilities, including a reported large-scale aerial battle, maintain a sizable fleet of fighter jets, consisting of aircraft supplied by the United States, Russia, China and France.

Why It Matters

India, which is a key Indo-Pacific partner of the U.S., launched Operation Sindoor, targeting alleged militant sites in Pakistan-controlled territory in retaliation for an attack that occurred in India-administered Kashmir last month, where 26 people were killed based on religion.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asserted that the country’s military shot down five Indian fighter jets. While India has not confirmed the losses, a “high-ranking” French intelligence official told CNN that one of the downed aircraft was the French-made Rafale.

A senior Pakistani security source also claimed to CNN that the aerial battle, often referred to as a “dog fight,” between Pakistani and Indian fighter jets involved 125 aircraft and lasted for more than an hour, making it one of the “largest and longest in recent aviation history.”

What To Know

The Indian Air Force possesses three major fighter aircraft to execute strikes and defend the country’s airspace. According to the specialist outlet FlightGlobal, the Rafale fighter aircraft is the “highest profile asset” for New Delhi’s air force, which has received 36 jets in total.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday said the downed Indian fighter jets included the Rafale, while the country’s army said it shot down three Rafales.

India operates about 260 Russian-made Su-30MKI and 65 MiG-29 fighter jets. Russia has historically been a major weapon supplier to India, which was the biggest arms exporter to the South Asian power between 2019 and 2023, accounting for 36 percent of total imports.

Pakistan’s major fighter jets are related to China, including the Chinese-made J-10CE and the JF-17, which was developed jointly by the two countries. According to Chinese media, Pakistan has ordered 36 J-10CE jets, of which the first 20 have been in service.

Pakistan’s foreign minister said that the J-10CE jets were employed to shoot down Indian fighter aircraft, and the Chinese ambassador was informed about the military action.

Pakistan Today reported that the South Asian country had a fleet of 156 JF-17 jets as of last September, which it called a “symbol of the relationship” between Islamabad and Beijing.

The U.S. designates Pakistan as a major non-NATO ally, with a 76 F-16 fighter aircraft fleet. Reuters previously reported that the “end-user agreements” have limited Pakistan’s use of the American jets as part of the two sides’ arms sale agreements.

In total, India has 616 combat aircraft, while Pakistan has a fleet of 387 jets, according to FlightGlobal’s World Air Forces directory for 2025.

What People Are Saying

The War Zone wrote on May 7: “And while the loss of a Rafale, especially to a Chinese-designed fighter, if confirmed, would be a huge propaganda win for Pakistan and, to some degree, China, the reality is that modern air combat is far more than a simple fighter-versus-fighter affair.”

FlightGlobal wrote on May 7: “Based on raw numbers, the Indian air force has an edge against the Pakistani air force, but Pakistan may have a qualitative advantage conferred by the [J-10CE] and JF-17 fleets. In a war, New Delhi would also need to set some aircraft aside to guard its northern flank against China; Pakistan would be able to throw its entire active fleet into the fray.”

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen whether Indian and Pakistani air forces will have further “dog fights” in the coming days or release additional details on their combat losses of fighter aircraft.