India-Pakistan War: A new report from the US Congress has reignited discussion around the brief but intense India–Pakistan conflict that took place in May. While the assessment appears broadly sympathetic to Pakistan’s narrative, it simultaneously highlights several inconsistencies in Islamabad’s claims and calls out China’s parallel disinformation push targeting India’s Rafale fleet post Operation Sindoor.
Pakistan had claimed it shot down six Indian jets during the clashes. The congressional report, however, states that India lost three aircraft—and suggests that not all of them were Rafales. The findings contrast with former US President Donald Trump’s earlier remark that a total of eight jets were downed. Based on the report’s numbers, if India lost three aircraft, Pakistan may have lost as many as five.
IAF’s Claims Gain Credibility
Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amarpreet Singh had previously asserted that IAF data indicated far greater losses on the Pakistani side—between 12 and 13 aircraft.
According to him, at least a dozen Pakistani military aircraft, including F-16s, were destroyed or significantly damaged during India’s Operation Sindoor. He detailed evidence of strikes on a C-130-class aircraft, an AEW&C platform, and four to five fighter jets—most likely F-16s—while they were parked in hangars or on the tarmac.
Discussing engagements in the air, the Air Chief Marshal revealed that the IAF has validated a long-range strike, exceeding 300 km, that hit either an AEW&C or a signals-intelligence aircraft. He added that five high-tech fighters—believed to be from the F-16 and JF-17 classes—were also engaged successfully.
While reports had previously circulated about F-16 damage on the ground, this is the first time the IAF has confirmed an air-to-air engagement involving Pakistan’s US-built fighters. The JF-17s, flown by Pakistan, are jointly produced by China. These assessments bring Pakistan’s total aircraft losses, according to India, to 12–13.
China’s Role: Disinformation and Weapons Testing
The congressional report also sheds light on China’s deeper involvement in the conflict. Analysts have long debated the true outcomes of the four-day clash, but the new findings indicate that China used the confrontation as both a propaganda stage and a real-time weapons testing opportunity.
According to the report, China deployed a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at undermining India’s Rafale jets during the conflict, even as it gathered operational data to market its own defence equipment globally.
During the May 7–10 hostilities, Pakistan relied heavily on Chinese support, using aircraft like the JF-17 and J-10C, PL-15 beyond-visual-range missiles, HQ-9 and HQ-16 air defence systems, drones, as well as Chinese reconnaissance satellites and the BeiDou navigation system. The congressional panel noted that Beijing later used the conflict to promote its weapons as combat-tested alternatives to Western defence platforms.