BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:45 P.M.) – On February 27th, the Pakistani and Indian air forces met above Kashmir to engage in a fierce dogfight that would only last for a short period of time.
The Pakistani Air Force was able to shoot down two Indian warplanes, killing one pilot and capturing the other in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir region.
“IAF crossed LOC [Line of Control]. PAF shot down two Indian aircrafts inside Pakistani airspace,” Pakistan’s military spokesman said shortly after the dogfight.
“One of the aircraft fell inside AJ&K [Azad Kashmir] while other fell inside IOK [Indian-occupied Kashmir]. One Indian pilot arrested by troops on the ground while two in the area,” they added.
India later confirmed that one of its jets was shot down by the Pakistani Air Force, adding that they also downed a PAF F-16 during the engagement.
“The Pakistani aircraft was seen by ground forces falling from the sky on the Pakistan side. In this engagement, we have unfortunately lost one MiG 21. The pilot is missing in action,” the Indian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
However, Pakistan has since denied the Indian Air Force’s claims, pointing out that they did not use an F-16, but rather, their domestically-made JF-17 fighter jets.
“Proud to announce, I was project director for JF-17 Thunder program jointly produced by Pakistan and China during the tenure of General Pervez Musharraf,” retired PAF Air Marshall Shahid Latif said in a statement on social media today.
“Today, same jets targeted and shot down Indian Jets which entered Pakistani Airspace,” he added.
The JF-17 ultimately proved itself during the fierce battle over Kashmir, as these jets were reportedly responsible for the downing of the two Indian MiG warplanes.
This domestically-made jet was previously developed to replace the Pakistani Air Force’s Dassault Mirage III/5 fighter planes.
As of now, the Pakistani Air Force is expected to induct another 150 JF-17 jets over the next three years, as they continue to replace the old planes in their arsenal.
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