Rafale vs J10C air battle: How Pakistan created a 'kill chain' with China's help using...; tension for US due to...

India.com

3 days ago

(File)
Rafale vs J10C: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has repeatedly claimed to have shot down several Indian fighter jets, including the advanced 4.5 generation Rafale fighters, during the air battle on the night of May 7 when India launched Operation Sindoor following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. How Pakistan allegedly shot down India's Rafale fighter jets?
According to new report published by the 'Study Times, a publication associated with the Communist Party of China (CCP), the PAF, with China's help, created a 'kill chain', which allowed a relatively 'inferior' fighter like the J10C to take down a heavyweight like Rafale.
The strategy linked various components, including early warning aircraft, data link, ground radar, air defense system and the J10-CE fighter jets equipped with PL-15 missiles, along with guidance from Chinese satellites, to build what is called a 'kill chain'. All these systems worked in unison to take purportedly shoot down Indian Air Force fighter jets, including the Rafales, during the aerial battle on the night of May 7, it claimed.
Pakistan has claimed to shot down several IAF fighter jets during Operation Sindoor, and while India has admitted that some of its planes were downed, the specific details, including the exact number have not been made public. What makes a 'kill chain' lethal for any fighter aircraft?
As per the Study Times article, it was the first that China's 'kill chain' strategy was employed on an actual battlefield. The tactic allows even older fighter planes to successfully engage, even take down, more advanced warplanes, because the latter have a complete view of the battle scene using integrated systems, including AWACS, data link, ground radar, and air defense system.
This integrated system gives little to no time to enemy fighter jets to react to an attack, because it is launched from beyond visual range (BVR), and the kill chain strategy masks the attack by jamming enemy systems, making it difficult to intercept incoming threats
The Study Times article also mentions the 'Long Board Effect', which means that if a side has the most developed strength in a war, it alone can play a decisive role. For example, if Pakistan had a state-of-the-art air early warning system, it could have changed the direction of the entire battle.
The article also emphasizes that silent and unexpected attacks will prove decisive in future wars. Why India doesn't have a 'kill chain' network?
At the surface level, a kill chain essentially means data sharing between all three branches of the armed forces in such way that every activity of the enemy can be responded to in seconds. Several experts have expressed concerns that while the Indian Air Force is certainly more advanced than the PAF, with advanced platforms like Rafale, Su-30MKI and S-400, they lack an integrated kill chain network.
Experts believe that India, despite being a stronger military power, lags behind in areas like networked warfare and cyber war, which allows a 'weaker' force like Pakistan to inflict significant damages. Why US should be concerned?
The United States is the primary rival of China and Beijing's evolving military strength is major cause of concern for Western powers. US and European defense experts note that China is no longer just an arms supplier, but a war-strategist, inventing novel strategies like 'kill web/systemic warfare, which creates a coordinated, multi-domain operation network that spans air, land, cyber and space.
US Space Force General Chance Saltzman warned that China has launched more than 470 spy and surveillance satellites that are part of its 'Sensor to Shooter Kill Web'. These satellites are capable of monitoring the activities of US joint forces and sharing real-time data, which could be crucial in a China-US conflict scenario, especially in a war over Taiwan. What lessons did China learn from the India-Pakistan war?
According to Study Times, the biggest lesson China learned from the India-Pakistan war is that its 'systematic war' succeeded, making it a blueprint for any future wars.
The article noted that war is no longer just a game of quality of weapons or individual military skills, but a war of 'system of systems'. which means if different weapon systems, such as early warning aircraft, data link, ground radar, air defense system and fighter aircraft work in an integrated manner, they can defeat even a technically superior opponent.
During Operation Sindoor, the same strategy was purportedly adopted by Pakistan with the help of China, and succeeded in downing Indian Rafale fighter jets using the combination of Chinese-made J-10CE fighter jets, PL-15 missiles and Chinese satellites.