The Secret Air Trap – 3D EgypT Tube
Simply put, the great Indo-Pakistani dogfight of 7 May 2025 was a clash between two different combat systems, with Pakistan’s Chinese-inspired system winning the day. The Pakistani Air Force was able to down multiple advanced Indian fighter jets in a single day, without suffering a single military casualty.
Nation celebrates ‘Surprise Day’ today as tribute to PAF’s retaliatory attack against India
Picture Courtesy: Dunya TV – Pakistan
From a military tech perspective, this clash was groundbreaking in several ways:
- This was the first major clash between two similar/comparable air forces that featured widespread usage of BVR tech, involving some 125 aircraft from both sides, and across distances over 100km. There is much valuable data to be studied here, as most aerial engagements of past conflicts involving western nations were inherently one-sided, typically with western militaries having overwhelming air superiority over an impoverished developing country that might not even have its own air force.
- This was also the first conflict to feature the successful use of AESA radar tech in missiles. China’s PL-15 missiles had advantages including anti-jamming and exceptional precision, and demand for these missiles rose all around the world after Pakistan shot down several advanced Indian aircraft, including the (overhyped) French Rafale. What’s more, there is currently no equivalent of the PL-15 on the market. The US’s AIM-260, which also features AESA tech, is still in development. This is yet another sign that China is leading the world in military tech.
- But the credit for this victory does not solely belong to the PL-15. Like I said in the beginning, this was a systemic victory rather than a stroke of luck. India’s air arsenal is “diverse” and chaotic, featuring top-tier aircraft from Russia and NATO. While impressive on paper, their system had the fatal flaw of lacking localisation and standardisation. By contrast, Pakistan has adopted a basic, slightly outdated (by Chinese standards) but complete and uniform Chinese combat system, featuring the J-10CE and JF-17 fighter jets, deployed in conjunction with the ZDK-03 early warning command aircraft, all of which used the same datalink for data-sharing, and helped the Pakistani Air Force coordinate accurate and effective strikes on Indian aircraft even before they could take off.
In the wider context of the developing world’s struggle against western hegemony, the outcome of this clash has significant and far-reaching implications. Due to China’s peaceful ways (i.e. “lacking real combat experience”), its military tech has been relatively obscure and snubbed by the global community for being “untested”. Its military hardware invites ridicule and mockery, and their sales are lacklustre. And while many countries now seek closer economic and diplomatic ties with China, few have seriously considered China as a contender for western, and especially American military might.
But thanks to Indian pilots bravely using their own aircraft to intercept Chinese-made arms, all of this is beginning to change. The fact here is Chinese military hardware is not only vastly more affordable, but even surpassing their western counterparts in their capabilities. India paid 7.4 billion dollars for 26 Rafale jets; Pakistan paid 1.5 billion dollars for 240 PL-15 missiles, 20 J-10CE jets and 10 WS-10B engines, complete with personnel training and logistical support. I mean, in terms of cost-effectiveness, this is really no contest.
By the way, much of these transactions are in the Yuan/Renminbi rather than the US dollar. De-dollarisation is real, folks, and it’s here to stay.
Major deliveries taken by the IAF and PAF after the 2019 Balakot Air Strike (source: @someplaosint via X)
Chinese arms manufacturers’ stock prices have been sharply rising these last couple of days, and orders from countries around the world – many of whom hold deep grudges with the west and west-adjacent countries – are coming in. The significance of the J-10C and Y-20 recently soaring over the Pyramids of Giza, at this critical stage of the Islamic world’s resistance against Zionist genocide, speaks for itself.
The Jewish Exceptionalism
Why is it that the Israelis dare to conduct themselves with such impunity, with their military blatantly killing UN personnel, and their diplomats throwing ugly tantrums at UN meetings? The official doctrine of Jewish Exceptionalism is one thing, but more importantly, it is because they are armed to the teeth and supported unconditionally by the US, outgunning their neighbours by a long shot.
But for all their deficiencies, one thing the Islamic world does not lack is wealth, and now they have an alternative source of military hardware – and more importantly, a viable, superior combat system, to splurge on. Aerial combat systems are second only to nuclear deterrence in terms of sophistication and destructiveness, and soon, the west and west-adjacent countries will be facing some real competition in this area.
And if you can move Israel – the “fulcrum” of American and western hegemony – why, you may move the world.
The information I’m getting suggests that officials in both India and Pakistan are showing admirable levels of restraint, and trying to end this conflict as quietly and quickly as possible. I pray that this will happen. In the meantime, China’s latest “Sputnik Moment” is something worth being noticed, and perhaps, even celebrated.
