Daily Archives: May 18, 2026

Read more about the article The Air War of May 2025: Every Kill Verified

The Air War of May 2025: Every Kill Verified

On 7 May 2025, 114 combat aircraft clashed in what has been described as one of the largest beyond visual range (BVR) air engagements since WWII During the 52-minute aerial battle triggered by India's Operation Sindoor, traditional visual confirmation of kills became difficult. Missile impacts occurred at unprecedented ranges from 160 km to 190 km, often beyond the horizon, while claims and counter-claims continued to spread rapidly across social media platforms, amplified by unverified facts and AI-produced imageries. Amid this torrent of conflicting claims, determining what actually happened was as disputed as the battle itself. Amidst this fog of confusion, Pakistan's clear and unambiguous claims backed by published evidence as well as openness to independent verification provided a welcome breath of clarity. As the prevalence of BVR battles increases and the spread of disinformation continues to outpace verified data in shaping both domestic opinion and international perceptions

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Read more about the article May 2025: The Largest BVR Engagement in South Asian Air Warfare

May 2025: The Largest BVR Engagement in South Asian Air Warfare

The tale of how the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) entered the era of Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air combat spanned decades before it came to its culmination on the night of 7 May 2025. For almost 50 years after partition, the PAF and IAF engaged each other in close-distance dogfights. Pilots would often recognize the tail markings on the fighter aircraft they were attempting to shoot down with their short-range guns and heat-seeking missiles. As such, all aerial engagements during the wars of 1965 and 1971 were conducted within visual range. The technological enablers for BVR engagements and corresponding doctrines did not develop in South Asia until the 2000s. In BVR air combat, the first one to see, lock on, and fire their missiles wins the engagement. Initially, the IAF had the ‘First Look, First Shot’ advantage. PAF’s fighter aircraft were capable but carried missiles with limited range, hindering effective long-range engagements

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Read more about the article 7-0 Global Reaction to the May 2025 Air Battle

7-0 Global Reaction to the May 2025 Air Battle

The May 2025 Air war between India and Pakistan was a unique development in the history of warfare, where Pakistan Air Force (PAF) downed 7 jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF), within a matter of minutes. It astonished observers all across the globe, considering the comparable difference in the size of both forces and their respective performance. One year ahead of the May 2025 Air War between India and Pakistan, failure of the Indian narrative in the face of the globally acclaimed Air dominance of PAF has shifted the global posture in favour of Pakistan. The military, strategic, and economic response from the international actors has certified the victory of Pakistan against the Indian misadventure. Militarily, the peculiar dynamics of the conflict attracted significant global attention. Military strategists focused on the tactics and technologies used by PAF and extracted Air doctrine lessons from the conflict. The IAF had a two-fold

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Read more about the article The First Drone War in South Asia: May 2025

The First Drone War in South Asia: May 2025

The four-day India-Pakistan conflict saw the emergence of drone warfare as a new strategic reality in the South Asian theatre. Drawing inferences from the Russia-Ukraine war, both sides deployed drones for precision targeting, probing air defences, and performing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks. The conflict marked a qualitative escalation where unmanned systems were used for coercive targeting besides their utility for tactical surveillance and reconnaissance. The loss of 7 top-of-the-line fighter aircraft in the initial phase of battle swiftly ended the Indian Air Force (IAF) bid for air dominance, forcing it to retreat to the rear bases. The loss of control of air created a decision dilemma and operational pause for the Indian leadership, compounded by the absence of a coherent strategic direction

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