SOURCE: AFI
In a scathing analysis of the recent Indo-Pakistan aerial conflict during Operation Sindoor (May 7–10, 2025), French media outlet L’Opinion (lopinion.fr) has reported that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) suffered significant losses, with “well over a dozen aircraft” destroyed, citing French sources.
The report underscores India’s “total victory at the tactical and operational levels” but highlights a “complete failure in strategic communication,” which has allowed Pakistan to shape the narrative despite its battlefield setbacks. The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) precision strikes crippled multiple PAF bases, destroying hangars and high-value assets, with some losses attributed to India’s S-400 air defense system and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation for the April 22, 2025, terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 Indian tourists, saw the IAF execute a series of meticulously planned strikes on 11 of Pakistan’s 13 major airbases, including Nur Khan (Rawalpindi), Bholari (Karachi), Sargodha, Murid (Chakwal), Rafiqui (Shorkot), Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Chunian (Kasur), Skardu, and radar sites at Pasrur and Sialkot. According to L’Opinion, these strikes inflicted heavy damage on PAF infrastructure, with satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies and reports from The Washington Post and The New York Times confirming large craters on runways, destroyed hangars, and damaged administrative buildings.
The IAF employed a range of precision-guided munitions, including air-launched BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, French SCALP cruise missiles, and AASM Hammer glide bombs, delivered by Rafale and Su-30 MKI fighters. A notable strike at Bholari airbase destroyed a hangar housing a Saab 2000 Erieye Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft and at least three F-16A/B Block-15 fighters, as confirmed by idrw.org. Another high-value asset, a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, was obliterated at Nur Khan airbase, while Chinese-origin Wing Loong drones and Turkish Bayraktar TB2 UAVs were destroyed at Murid, a PAF drone hub.
India’s air defense network, bolstered by the S-400 Triumf system and indigenous systems like the SpyDer, played a pivotal role in neutralizing Pakistani retaliatory strikes. Indian media has noted that Indian air defenses intercepted multiple PAF cruise and ballistic missiles, including the Al-Fateh missile, and downed over 10 UCAVs, with some losses attributed to the S-400. The IAF’s Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) ensured seamless coordination, detecting PAF intrusions at 26 locations on May 10 and thwarting attacks on Indian bases like Udhampur, Pathankot, and Adampur.
The PAF’s losses, as detailed by L’Opinion and corroborated by air warfare historian Tom Cooper, represent a significant setback. The destruction of two Saab 2000 Erieye AWACS platforms, critical for situational awareness, has severely degraded Pakistan’s air defense coordination. The loss of F-16s, JF-17s, and UAVs at bases like Bholari, Sargodha, and Murid, combined with runway damage at Rahim Yar Khan and Sukkur, has grounded a substantial portion of PAF’s operational fleet. The Washington Post reported a 60-foot-wide hole in a Bholari hangar, while EurAsian Times estimated that 20% of PAF’s infrastructure was knocked out, costing Pakistan billions in repairs amid its ongoing economic crisis.
Pakistan’s claims of downing five Indian aircraft—three Rafales, one Su-30 MKI, and one MiG-29—along with an IAI Heron drone, were dismissed by India as propaganda. While Reuters cited U.S. officials confirming two Indian fighters downed by PAF J-10CE jets, India has not officially acknowledged any losses, stating that Operation Sindoor remains ongoing. L’Opinion aligns with this skepticism, noting Pakistan’s lack of credible evidence and its reliance on disinformation, such as claims of destroying an Indian S-400 system in Adampur, debunked by Indian officials.
Despite its tactical and operational dominance, L’Opinion criticizes India’s “complete failure in strategic communication,” which allowed Pakistan to seize the narrative. Pakistani media, including The Nation and Jang, amplified claims of downing Indian jets, citing unverified sources like a “senior French intelligence official” alleging a Rafale loss. Social media platforms, particularly X, were flooded with Pakistani propaganda, including a Chinese video simulating a Rafale shootdown by J-10C jets, as noted by idrw.org.
L’Opinion’s report, citing French sources, offers a nuanced view of the conflict, praising India’s military prowess while exposing its communication shortcomings. The French perspective is significant given the Rafale’s role in the operation, with 35 IAF Rafales equipped with Meteor missiles and SCALP cruise missiles executing deep strikes. The report’s claim of a potential Rafale loss, also noted by Le Monde, marks a historic first for the French aircraft, though India’s silence on the matter leaves the claim unverified.
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