Shot down Indian jets

Pakistan foreign minister says it shot down Indian jets with Chinese-made aircraft

From CNN’s Sophia Saifi, Jessie Yeung, Brad Lendon, Nectar Gan and Juliana Liu

Pakistan’s foreign minister has said that its military had used Chinese-made aircraft to shoot down five Indian fighter jets the day before.

Pakistan said it shot down the Indian jets – three French-made Rafales, a MiG-29 and an Su-30 fighter – after India launched airstrikes on what it claimed were “terrorist” sites inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

India has not responded to Pakistan’s claims or confirmed any losses. CNN has not been able to verify these claims. A high-ranking French intelligence official told CNN that Pakistan downed one Rafale, and that French authorities were investigating whether any more had been shot down.

“Our jet fighters were J-10Cs that shot down the three French Rafales and other jets,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Wednesday. He added that by 4 a.m. on Wednesday, there was “an entire Chinese team at the Foreign Office along with their ambassador” being updated on what had taken place.

When asked about Dar’s comments, a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday he was not familiar with the situation and hadn’t seen “any relevant information” about the activities of the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan.

China is Pakistan’s main arms supplier, with Chinese arms making up 81% of Pakistan’s weapons imports in the past five years, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

On Wednesday, China urged both sides to de-escalate – saying it “expressed regret over India’s military action against Pakistan.”

Some context: The J-10C is a single-engine fighter jet. J-10s first flew in the Chinese air force in the early 2000s, but the latest version — the J-10C – has improved weapon systems and is classified as a 4.5-generation fighter, a rung below 5th-generation stealth jets like China’s J-20 or the US F-35.

The latest versions of the US’ F-16 fighters are also 4.5-generation aircraft.

The J-10C is made by Chinese state-owned company Avic Chengdu Aircraft, which saw its shares in Shenzhen surge after the India-Pakistan escalation. Shares on Thursday closed 40% higher than they had on Tuesday before the escalation, according to Refinitiv data.