By Li Hsian | 2025-05-14

A recent clash between Chinese-made Pakistani jets and French-made Indian Rafale fighters has ramifications for Taiwan's air defense capabilities and tactics, say experts.

US officials told Reuters that a Chinese-made Pakistani fighter plane shot down at least two Indian military aircraft during the May 7 dogfight in the Kashmir region -- one of the largest air battles in modern history.

There was high confidence that Pakistan had used the Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against Indian fighter jets, one official said.

At least one Indian jet that was shot down was a French-made Rafale fighter, said another official.

Pakistan claimed it downed five Indian planes in air-to-air combat.

If confirmed, the battle may mark the J-10 series' first combat victory over a Western 4.5-generation fighter.

"Air warfare communities in China, the US and a number of European countries will be extremely interested to try and get as much ground truth as they can on tactics, techniques, procedures, what kit was used, what worked and what didn't," Douglas Barrie, a senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Reuters.

Speculation has centered on a matchup between China's PL-15 air-to-air missile and the Meteor, a radar-guided air-to-air missile produced by European group MBDA, though there has been no confirmation either weapon was used.

"You have arguably China's most capable weapon against the West's most capable weapon, if indeed it was being carried; we don't know that," Barrie said.

While the details of the dogfight remain unclear, analysts have suggested that Pakistan used Chinese-provided "system warfare" tactics and weapon combinations, including the pairing of the PL-15 missile with airborne early warning aircraft.

The engagement was not just a duel between aircraft and missiles, Su Tzu-yun, director of the Institute for National Defense Strategy and Resources at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told Focus.

He emphasized the crucial role of the acquisition and real-time transmission of battlefield information and cross-platform integration.

Su pointed to the Pakistani air force's use of the "A-shooter, B-guider" (third-party targeting/guidance) tactic as a reflection of its advanced command-and-control capabilities in modern combat.

Even if the Rafale fighter potentially holds an advantage in a one-on-one scenario, if its downing by a J-10 is confirmed, the key likely lies in "electronic warfare deciding everything," he said.

System warfare

The coordination between the J-10C and early warning aircraft has drawn Taiwan's attention.

Taiwan has upgraded some F-16s to the F-16V variant, said Su.

These have the US-made APG-83 active electronically scanned array radar, giving them an advantage in avionics and electronic warfare capabilities over the J-10 series.

However, coordination between fighter jets and early warning aircraft, and the concept of system warfare, should be strengthened, he noted.

Taiwan should accelerate the construction of an integrated network of operational nodes and data links, he said, adding that modern warfare requires not only the ability to fly and fight but also the capability for real-time situational awareness and joint operations.

Weng Chia-min, former squadron leader of Taiwan's air force early warning aircraft, and military observer Chu Ko-fengyun on May 12 co-authored an article pointing out that airborne early warning aircraft are the core of Taiwan's air defense system.

"Taiwan is on the defensive side, with far fewer troops than China, so it is even more necessary to use early warning aircraft for 24-hour aerial surveillance," they wrote.

Both writers urged the government to swiftly seek the sale or lease of six to eight new E-2D advanced early warning aircraft from the United States to fill the air defense early warning gap.

Taiwan in February submitted a formal request to Washington for the sale of six E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes to replace its fleet of aged E-2Ks.