One year after Pakistan and India almost went to war, Alan Warnes provides a Pakistan Air Force perspective on how events unfolded in the air over Kashmir.
Balakot in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region was relatively unknown to anyone outside the country until February last year. The town had been destroyed during the 2005 earthquake but had since been rebuilt, only to be thrust back into the headlines due to an air battle between Indian and Pakistani air forces. That conflict saw the Indian Air Force (IAF) taught a few tactical lessons by its Pakistan Air Force (PAF) counterparts. The biggest? Never underestimate your opponent.
Given the past two wars in 1965 and 1971, as well as several other skirmishes between the two countries since Pakistan gained independence in 1948, it could be argued that the IAF should have known better. The IAF outnumbers the PAF in every domain and yet its performance against its old foe on February 26-27, 2019, highlighted some deficiencies.
The outcome tarnished the reputation of the IAF commander at the time, Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa. He had emerged from the 1999 Kargil War with merit, after successfully leading a MiG-21 unit, No 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arr…
2025