British Report Claims Pakistan Downed 4 Indian Rafales in May Air Conflict. According to a research report by the British defense magazine Key Aero, 4 Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force were destroyed in the air war between Pakistan and India in May this year. This is the first time that an air force has paralyzed the enemy by combining cyber and conventional military operations.
The report said that in the 52-minute air war in May, the Indian Air Force‘s Rafale aircraft BS 001, BS 021, BS 022 and BS 027 were shot down. India failed to provide clear images with the serial numbers of these aircraft.
According to the Key Aero report, Pakistani multi-domain operations paralyzed the Indian Air Force, and during this time, in addition to the 4 Rafale aircraft, MiG-29, Su-30 and Heron drones were also destroyed.
The report further said that on May 10, a JF-17C Block 3 destroyed an Indian S-400 air defense system in Udhampur, while an Indian command and control system in Barnala was also targeted.
It is pertinent to mention that in May 2025, an Indian BJP leader admitted that Pakistan had shot down five IAF jets including Rafale.
Cyber & conventional military measures
According to the report, Pakistani cyber units paralyzed about 96 percent of India’s social networks and digital systems. This operation is the first example of combining cyber and conventional military measures.
Key Aero said that Indian Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan had admitted the destruction of Indian aircraft in an interview. Earlier, the Pakistani Air Force had shot down an Indian MiG-21 aircraft during Operation Swift Retaliation.
