Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian aircraft during the engagement, including three Rafales, one Su-30MKI, and one MiG-29. However, Pakistan did not provide specific details on where or how the aircraft were downed or the status of their crews.
To date, only one Rafale loss has been independently confirmed. Photographs of the wreckage, displaying the inscription “RAFALE” and serial number BS 001 on the vertical stabiliser, appeared from the Bathinda district in Punjab, Pakistan, around 240 km south of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. This aircraft was identified as a single-seat Rafale F3-R, part of the 36 units delivered to India since July 2020. This is the first confirmed combat loss of a Rafale fighter jet since its induction into service with the French Air Force in 2001.
Reports from some media sources suggest the discovery of another Rafale wreckage in the Indian-controlled area of Kashmir, although Indian authorities have denied any additional losses during Operation Sindoor.
Unofficial Pakistani sources stated that J-10CE fighter jets, equipped with PL-15 air-to-air missiles and HQ-9 ground-based missile systems, supported by electronic warfare, were used in response to the Indian strikes. American sources also suggested that the Rafale was hit by a missile launched from a J-10CE. French officials unofficially confirmed the loss of the aircraft.
The loss of the Rafale jet is considered significant, as it marks the first time a Rafale has been downed in combat since the model’s introduction into military service.
The military escalation between India and Pakistan followed a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, northern Jammu and Kashmir, on 22 April 2025, which resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians. It was the deadliest attack against civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai terror incidents.
In response to the attack, India conducted missile and air strikes on nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, targeting what it identified as terrorist facilities. Islamabad reported that these strikes killed 26 people and injured 46. In subsequent retaliatory fire from Pakistan, 10 Indian civilians were reported killed.
