- Sputnik International
Asia
Find top stories and features from Asia and the Pacific region. Keep updated on major political stories and analyses from Asia and the Pacific. All you want to know about China, Japan, North and South Korea, India and Pakistan, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Media REVEALS Why India’s Su-30s Failed to Combat Pakistan’s F-16s in Dogfight

© AP Photo / Aijaz RahiIndian air force Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft takes off at the opening ceremony of Aero India 2011 in Yelahanka air base on the outskirts of Bangalore, India, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011
Indian air force Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft takes off at the opening ceremony of Aero India 2011 in Yelahanka air base on the outskirts of Bangalore, India, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Indian and Pakistani warplanes engaged in an air battle over Kashmir just a day after New Delhi’s alleged attack on a jihadist camp on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control on 26 February. The dogfight led to the downing of an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-21 Bison and a Pakistani F-16.

Advanced Russian-made Su-30 fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) did not take part in the 27 February dogfight with Pakistani warplanes due to red tape-related problems, the Hindu reports.

“Owing to the bureaucratic delays, we could not develop blast pens [reinforced shelters] for Su-30 MKIs near the Line of Control [LoC]. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) sanctioned the project only at the end of 2017”, the newspaper cited a defence source as saying.

READ MORE: Pakistan: India Claims F-16 Was Downed for Political Gains as Election Looms

The source added that as a result, the Su-30 jets were not deployed along the LoC, and “they were scrambled from behind to intercept the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jets that tried to bomb Indian military installations”, with Soviet-made MiG-21 jets being “the first responders” during the aerial combat.

A new escalation of Indian-Pakistani tensions culminated on 27 February, when the IAF’s MiG-21 Bison and the PAF’s F-16 were downed in a dogfight over Kashmir, a day after the IAF conducted an assault on an alleged terrorist base in the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir, reportedly destroying several facilities.

The air raid followed a suicide attack claimed by the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad on 14 February that killed more than 40 Indian soldiers.

READ MORE: Indian Army Displays Parts of AMRAAM Missile Allegedly Fired From Pakistani F-16

Pakistani Air Force F-16 fighter jet - Sputnik International
Aerial Clash With Pakistan Has Exposed Chinks in India's Armour - Editor
India blamed Pakistan for harbouring and protecting terrorists, and accused Islamabad of having a "direct hand" in the deadly incident – accusations that Pakistan vehemently denies.

The SU-30 MKI, NATO reporting name Flanker-H, is the IAF’s elite fighter-bomber developed by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation.  The IAF got the first batch of such warplanes from Russia in 1996 and has since contracted 272 aircraft.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала