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Tuesday June 17, 2025

Bunyan-um-Marsoos: How PAF cut IAF down to size after Indian attack on Pakistan

Success of PAF is not only being acknowledged by world but Indians are also finding it difficult to deny

By Shahzad Iqbal
May 14, 2025
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter jet F-16 performs to during an air show in Karachi, Pakistan February 27, 2020. — Reuters
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter jet F-16 performs to during an air show in Karachi, Pakistan February 27, 2020. — Reuters

INDIAN misadventures on the nights of May 7 and May 9 have dragged India into new lows, after the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) not only successfully defended Pakistani land and airspace with might and glory but also tarnished the image of Indian hegemony in the region.

The rapid and robust reaction by the PAF on the night of May 7 dented the Indian Air Force (IAF) to an extent that India could not bring its jets to air in four days of escalation afterwards. The success of the PAF is not only being acknowledged by the world but Indians are also finding it difficult to deny.

The exclusive details of Ops Room available with us note that Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu was not only present himself in the Ops Room throughout this escalation but also finalised the aggressive game plan based on multi-domain capabilities.

The CAS allowed tactical freedom to all members of his team to take decisions in line with the finalised game plan, which greatly instilled confidence in and boosted morale of the troops from multiple domains and locations.

According to details, when India attacked Bahawalpur, Muridke and seven other places inside Pakistan during the night of May 6 and May 7, a counteroffensive was launched by Pakistan, in which the PAF played the crucial role. During this offensive by Pakistan, the PAF downed five Indian jets — three Rafales, one MiG-29 and one Su-30 — along with one UAV Heron.

During this offensive, the PAF used J-10C jets, which were equipped with PL-15 missiles. It is pertinent to mention here that the range bearing of these missiles is between 230km and 280km, and according to sources, the longest shot taken by Pakistan’s jets on that night was 98 nautical miles, which means India’s jets were targeted from the distance of 190km.

According to exclusive details available with us, two Indian pilots were killed and three others were critically injured during the downing of these five jets, and according to sources, details and complete profiles of these casualties and injuries of Indian pilots are available with Pakistan’s intelligence.

During the night between May 6 and May 7, around 125 jets were airborne, 75 of them Indian jets, but all the jets remained in their own airspaces, and not at any moment did any of Pakistan’s or India’s jets cross the airspace of the other side.

As per exclusive details, the offensive launched by Pakistan was so aggressive and well-planned that Indian jets could not fire a single air-to-air missile to hit any of the Pakistani jets.

Sources say that a fighter jet needs a cue to lock the enemy’s jet to launch a missile to hit, but since Pakistan’s offensive was so aggressive and robust, Indian jets could not get a cue to lock and launch a missile at Pakistan’s jets.

Similarly, according to the exclusive details available with us, when India again launched an attack on the night between May 9 and May 10 on three airbases within Pakistan, Pakistan launched the offensive Bunyanum Marsoos, and again the PAF’s strategy was clear that Pakistan would target only those Indian bases and installations from where attacks on Pakistan were being launched. Pakistan was clear in their approach that they would escalate to de-escalate.

Similarly, along with the PAF, the Pakistan Army through Bunyanum Marsoos launched Fateh-1 ballistic missiles at the bases from where India was attacking Pakistan.

At this point, sources say, during this retaliatory offensive by the PAF and the Pakistan Army, India could not dare to get even a single jet airborne, as India was terrified by the heavy losses inflicted by the PAF on May 7, and did not want to bear more, so they avoided to get their jets airborne in response.

Due to this cowardice by India, the Pakistan Army and the PAF successfully targeted 26 targets across the border, including 14 airfields.

Pakistan successfully destroyed the sophisticated S-400, the Indian Air Defence System at the Adampur Airbase in India, during Operation Bunyanum Marsoos. Interestingly, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the airbase for a photo-shoot with S-400 to counter Pakistan’s claim of destroying it.

However, sources told us that India has four batteries of S-400 in total, and Pakistan destroyed one of these four batteries installed at the Adampur Airbase. According to sources, Pakistan has the satellite images of that destroyed battery.

It is interesting to note here that S-400 is composed of two components: a firing unit and a radar. Pakistan has completely destroyed one at the Adampur Airbase, and satellite images are available as evidence.

So if Modi is having a photo-shoot with S-400 at the Adampur Airbase to debunk the claim of its destruction, this battery of S-400 might have been brought there from some other location.