Pakistani J-10C Shot Down Indian Rafale During May 6 Clashes – Reports

Following the publication of Pakistani claims that an Indian Air Force Rafale fighter was shot down during air clashes between the two countries on May 6, the emergence of images confirming the destruction of a Rafale and its crash on Indian territory has resulted in a&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/indian-air-force-faces-pr-crisis-240-million-rafale-destroyed" target="_blank">public relations crisis</a> for the Indian Defence Ministry. The small number of Rafales fielded, with just 36 having been procured from France, previously raised questions regarding Pakistani claims before images of the crashed fighter were confirmed. Although a number of Indian sources were quick to claim that the Rafale was lost in a non combat related incident, a high-ranking French intelligence official speaking to CNN confirmed that the Rafale had been shot down by Pakistani forces, and that more than one of the aircraft may have been shot down. Pakistan has also been confirmed to have used a PL-15 air-to-air missile during engagements, with the remains of one of the missiles recovered possibly after exploding during the shootdown of an enemy fighter. This circumstantial evidence has supported a number of unconfirmed reports that a Pakistan Air Force J-10C fighter was responsible for shooting down the Indian Rafale fighter during engagements.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/08/article_681c2464d62459_83795265.jpeg" title="Indian Air Force Rafale Fighter">The J-10C is one of just two Pakistani fighter classes capable of employing the PL-15, alongside the JF-17 Block III. The two fighter classes use similarly sophisticated radar technologies, composite materials and avionics, and <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/pakistan-first-jf17bl3-squadron-j20-dna">many of which</a> were originally developed for China’s&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/china-j20-fifth-generation-began-serial-production-10yrs">J-20 fifth generation fighter&nbsp;</a>program, although the JF-17 is a much lighter aircraft with a weaker engine and smaller radar. Its design prioritises low operational costs, allowing the Pakistan Air Force to deploy it on a large scale. The J-10C currently forms the elite of the Pakistan Air Force, and of the two fighter classes is the more likely to have been pre-positioned to respond to expected Indian attacks in the days leading up to the May 6 engagements. The loss of at least one Rafale, and the likely use of the J-10C to achieve the kill, has significant economic and security implications far beyond South Asia. The J-10C is the lightest and least costly of five fighter classes being procured by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force, including the J-15, J-16, FC-31 and J-20, and is very significantly less capable than the latest variants of the J-20. The Rafale, by contrast, is expected to remain France and Europe’s most capable indigenous fighter class for the<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/dassault-chief-highlights-european-sixth-gen-fighter-could-come-25-years-behind-u-s-and-china" target="_blank"> foreseeable future</a>, including well into the 2030s when China <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/us-air-force-leadership-confirms-tough-choices-china-develops-first-sixth-gen" target="_blank">begins fielding</a> sixth generation fighters.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/08/article_681c251a75b322_25036959.png" title="Remains of Rafale Fighter Shot Down on May 6">Although the J-10C has long been seen to boast significant advantages over the Rafale in its air-to-air combat capabilities, the demonstration of this in actual combat highlights the significance of China’s emergence as one of the two world leaders in its combat aviation sector alongside the United States, as well as the growing extent to which European industries have fallen behind. With a cost of approximately one third that of the Rafale, and much lower operational costs, the J-10C’s performance is expected to further increase foreign interest in the fighter and in procurements of Chinese combat jets more generally. By contrast, foreign interest in the Rafale and in European figures more generally may suffer as a result of the fighter’s performance, with calls having begun to mount in India to cancel the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/india-paying-288m-new-rafales-already-behind" target="_blank">planned procurement</a> of 26 additional Rafale fighters for the Indian Navy. With the&nbsp;immense cost of the Rafale at over $240 million per fighter having already caused a significant scandal in India, further procurements of French fighters are expected to face greater resistance, which could be disastrous for the European state’s highly export reliant combat aviation sector.