SOURCE: AFI
In a series of meticulously executed missile strikes during Operation Sindoor from May 7 to May 10, 2025, the Indian Air Force (IAF) demonstrated its capability to disable the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on the ground, delivering a significant blow to Pakistan’s military ambitions. By targeting and damaging key airbase runways across Pakistan, including Nur Khan in Rawalpindi, Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab, and Mushaf in Sargodha, the IAF has effectively grounded a substantial portion of PAF’s operational capacity.
This operation not only highlights India’s growing precision-strike capabilities but also exposes the vulnerabilities of Pakistan’s heavily indebted military expansion, which has relied on massive loans to procure Chinese fighter jets and air defense systems.
Satellite imagery and reports from multiple sources confirm the scale of destruction inflicted on PAF airbases. At Rahim Yar Khan, a crater approximately 19 feet in radius rendered the runway inoperable, while Mushaf airbase in Sargodha—home to Pakistan’s elite F-16, Chengdu J-7, Mirage 5, and JF-17 Thunder jets—suffered two large craters, one measuring 15 feet in radius, effectively halting flight operations. Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, a strategically vital facility near the Pakistani military headquarters, saw severe damage to its buildings and infrastructure, with a 60-foot-wide hole in a hangar at Bholari airbase further evidencing the precision and impact of India’s strikes. The Washington Post reported that at least six PAF airfields, including Shahbaz in Jacobabad, sustained significant damage to runways, hangars, and mobile buildings.
The IAF employed a range of precision munitions, including the supersonic BrahMos missile, to achieve these results. Indian military commanders stated that the strikes destroyed approximately 20% of PAF’s assets, including several fighter jets like the JF-17 Thunder, and killed over 50 personnel, including Squadron Leader Usman Yusuf at Bholari. This level of destruction has severely hampered PAF’s operational readiness, as aircraft are unable to take off or land from damaged runways, effectively grounding a significant portion of Pakistan’s air fleet.
Pakistan’s military modernization has been heavily reliant on Chinese support, with China accounting for 81–82% of its arms imports between 2019 and 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The PAF has invested heavily in Chinese-made fighter jets, including the J-10C and JF-17 Block III, equipped with advanced PL-15 air-to-air missiles, as well as air defense systems like the HQ-9. These procurements, however, have come at a steep cost, funded through massive loans from China under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other bilateral agreements. Pakistan’s external debt stood at $130 billion as of early 2025, with a significant portion owed to China, placing immense financial strain on its economy.
The IAF’s strikes have exposed the fragility of this debt-driven military build-up. Despite Pakistan’s claims of downing Indian jets—ranging from three to six, including French-made Rafales, using J-10C fighters—the damage to its airbases has rendered much of its air fleet inoperable for the foreseeable future. Posts on X and media reports suggest that the IAF bypassed and jammed Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied air defense systems, completing its mission in just 23 minutes. The failure of the HQ-9 systems to intercept Indian missiles and drones, as noted in a ProKerala report, has not only humiliated Pakistan but also damaged China’s reputation as a reliable arms supplier. The inability of PAF’s Chinese jets to prevent the destruction of their own bases further underscores the limitations of Pakistan’s China-backed military strategy.
The destruction of PAF runways has far-reaching implications for Pakistan’s military posture. With nearly all of its major airbases east of the Indus River now exposed and damaged, Pakistan’s ability to project air power against India, Afghanistan, or Iran has been severely curtailed. The IAF’s strikes, which also targeted radar and defense sites in Pasrur, Sialkot, Chunian, and Lahore, have disrupted PAF’s command-and-control infrastructure, leaving it vulnerable to further attacks. The Indian Navy was reportedly prepared to launch 200 missiles on Karachi Naval Dockyard had Pakistan not agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, brokered by the United States, indicating the extent of pressure Pakistan faced.
This operation has also highlighted the strategic miscalculation in Pakistan’s reliance on Chinese technology. While Pakistan claimed to have used hypersonic missiles launched from JF-17 jets to destroy an Indian S-400 system in Adampur, Punjab, as reported by Xinhua, the overall failure of its air defenses and the grounding of its air fleet overshadow any tactical successes. The IAF’s ability to penetrate Pakistani airspace and strike with impunity, as noted in posts on X, demonstrates India’s technological edge and operational superiority. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion that Indian forces can strike any corner of Pakistan has been proven on the battlefield, forcing Pakistan’s military leadership, under General Munir, to reconsider its aggressive posture, particularly after incidents like the Pahalgam attack.
The financial burden of rebuilding PAF’s infrastructure will exacerbate Pakistan’s economic woes. Repairing runways, hangars, and replacing destroyed aircraft will require billions of dollars—funds that Pakistan, already grappling with a debt crisis, can ill afford. The loss of 20% of PAF’s assets, as assessed by the IAF, represents a significant setback to its operational capability, potentially necessitating further loans from China, which could deepen Pakistan’s economic dependency and limit its strategic autonomy.
Politically, the failure to protect its airbases has weakened the Pakistani military’s credibility domestically and internationally. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government, which hailed the PAF’s alleged downing of Indian jets, now faces scrutiny for its inability to defend critical military infrastructure. The ceasefire, which Pakistan sought after just four days of conflict, indicates the pressure it faced, as reported by Reuters and Hindustan Times. The involvement of the United States in brokering the ceasefire, despite India’s denial of external mediation, further highlights Pakistan’s reliance on foreign powers to de-escalate the crisis.
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