A British defence journal has claimed that the serial numbers of four Indian Air Force Rafale fighter jets allegedly shot down by Pakistan during military clashes in May have been identified, challenging New Delhi’s assertions of air superiority during the confrontation.
According to an investigative report published by the UK-based defence magazine Key Aero, four Rafale aircraft were destroyed in what it described as a 52-minute aerial engagement between Pakistani and Indian forces. The report identified the aircraft by their serial numbers as BS-001, BS-021, BS-022 and BS-027.
The journal stated that India has not provided verifiable photographic or operational evidence to counter the loss of these aircraft or to account for the serial numbers cited in the report. It added that the absence of such material has raised questions among defence analysts regarding India’s official narrative of the air engagement.
The report further claimed that Pakistan conducted coordinated multi-domain operations that significantly disrupted Indian Air Force responses. According to Key Aero, these operations limited the ability of Indian pilots and command structures to react effectively during the clashes.
In addition to the alleged loss of four Rafale jets, the journal claimed that India also lost other aerial assets during the conflict, including MiG-29 and Su-30 fighter aircraft, along with a Heron unmanned aerial vehicle. These assertions, the report noted, have not been independently confirmed by Indian authorities.
The journal also alleged that on May 10, a Pakistan Air Force JF-17C Block III aircraft successfully targeted and disabled an Indian S-400 air defence system deployed in the Udhampur area. It described this as a significant development, given the strategic importance of the S-400 system.
Additionally, the report claimed that Pakistani cyber units disrupted nearly 96 per cent of India’s social media networks and digital systems during the conflict. It described the operation as an unprecedented example of tightly coordinated cyber and conventional warfare conducted simultaneously during an air campaign.
