Pakistan Shoots Down Multiple Indian Mirage 2000 Fighters – Reports

Shortly before midnight on May 6 the Indian Air Force launched strikes on insurgent targets in Kotli, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Ahmadpur East and Muridke, the former three of which were in disputed Kashmir and the later two in Pakistan. “A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. Altogether, nine sites have been targeted,” the Indian Ministry of Defence reported. “Our actions have been focused, measured, and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution,” the ministry added. The attacks responded to the Pahalgam insurgent attack on April 22 in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were killed. Pakistani authorities quickly vowed to respond to what they described as “a shameful and cowardly” operation. Hours after the attack, Pakistani sources reported the successful shootdowns of five Indian Air Force fighter aircraft, with footage of the remains of the aircraft subsequently displayed.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/07/article_681abf3b923133_43624466.JPG" title="Remains of Unexploded MICA Missile in Pakistan">Images of the remains of an Indian fighter appear to show a <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/french-mirage2000s-crash-prone-loss" target="_blank">Mirage 2000</a>, which has been favoured for launching precision bombings in the past. The Mirage 2000 was confirmed to have been used to strike targets in Pakistan in 2019 during the previous round of major military clashes between the two countries. Supporting claims of a Mirage 2000 shootdown, the remains of an unexploded MICA air-to-air missile, which serves as the Mirage 2000’s primary air-to-air armament, were found in Pakistan. The MICA is also used by India’s small fleet of 36 Rafale fighters, which some Pakistani sources have claimed were involved in engagements. Although the Indian Air Force had a significant technological advantage during prior engagements with Pakistan in 2019, the rapid modernisation of the Pakistani fighter fleet with Chinese support has shifted the balance of power in its favour.<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/07/article_681ac185ed0a01_62392243.jpeg" title="Pakistan Air Force J-10C Fighter"> The J-10C that <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/j10c-complex-exercises-so-dangerous" target="_blank">forms the elite</a> of the Pakistani fighter fleet is currently considered capable of going head to head with India’s most capable fighters, including the Su-30MKI and Rafale, while the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/pakistan-first-jf17bl3-squadron-j20-dna" target="_blank">JF-17 Block III </a>that uses the same weaponry and similarly advanced avionics is able to more than hold its own, and has a strong edge over second tier Indian fighter classes such as the MiG-29 and Mirage 2000. The outcome of engagements with Pakistani air units are likely to influence ongoing decision making regarding India’s procurement of its first fifth generation fighters, with a major <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russian-ambassador-details-terms-su57-deal-considered-india" target="_blank">contract for the procurement</a> of Russian Su-57 fighters being widely anticipated.&nbsp;The procurement of the Su-57 and planned <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/india-aesa-su30mki-alternative-to-russian" target="_blank">modernisation of the Su-30MKI</a> with an advanced AESA radar and R-77M air-to-air missiles are expected to help restore an Indian advantage.&nbsp;