Pakistan Shoots Down Five Indian Jets Including Three Rafales, Su-30MKI, MiG-29 in 125-Jet, One-Hour Border Dogfight

In a major aerial engagement between India and Pakistan on May 6, 2025, Pakistani forces shot down at least five Indian fighter jets, including three Dassault Rafale jets, one Sukhoi Su-30MKI, and one MiG-29. The dogfight, involving approximately 125 fighter jets and lasting over an hour, occurred near the India-Pakistan border, with neither side crossing into the other's airspace. Visual evidence from multiple locations, including the Indian village of Aklian Kalan near Bathinda Air Force Station in Punjab and the Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir, confirmed the downing of these aircraft. Wreckage of the Rafale jets showed intact French MICA air-to-air missiles still attached to their launchers.

Pakistani military officials also reported shooting down an unmanned Israeli-made IAI Heron reconnaissance drone. Indian authorities have confirmed at least three jets were lost, with some reports indicating four or more. A senior Pakistani security source described the engagement as one of the largest and longest aerial dogfights in recent history. According to U.S. officials cited by Reuters, Pakistan used Chinese J-10 aircraft to launch missiles that downed at least two Indian jets, including a French-made Rafale. Additionally, Pakistani forces claimed to have destroyed the headquarters of the Indian Army’s 12th Infantry Brigade under the 9th Division during the conflict.