Overview

• A Reuters reconstruction shows that on May 7 during Operation Sindoor, Pakistan Air Force J-10Cs fired Chinese PL-15 missiles from roughly 200 km to ambush and down at least one IAF Rafale.
• The incident marks the first confirmed combat loss of the French-made Rafale, a finding corroborated by senior French intelligence officials.
• Indian planners underestimated the PL-15’s effective range, leaving Rafale crews unaware they were operating within missile engagement distance.
• Pakistan credits its homegrown Data Link 17 network for fusing air, land and space sensor feeds, enabling J-10C pilots to execute quiet, long-range strikes.
• Although India remains publicly silent on the Rafale loss under the ceasefire, it is overhauling sensor integration and revising air combat tactics in response to the incident.