Operation Sindoor: Is the Pakistan Air Force as Powerful as It Claims?

Operation Sindoor was a military operation beginning with airstrikes against nine targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir by India, beginning on May 6, 2025. India claims the strikes were a form of retaliation for a terrorist attack that killed 26 Indian Hindu tourists on April 22. Discussions concerning the Pakistan Air Forces (PAF) capabilities and whether or not they live up to their reputation have been reignited by the operation. 

Pakistan Air Force: A Brief Overview:-

PAF is the aerial warfare branch within the Pakistan Armed Forces in defense against air threats. Currently, there are more than 70000 active duty members within the PAF, which operates a varied fleet of aircraft. And these are part of the PAF inventory. 

1. Fighter Aircraft: Fighter aircraft includes the Chengdu J-10C, JF-17 Thunder, as well as F-16 Fighting Falcons and Mirage III and Mirage 5. 
2. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): CH-4 Wing Loong II, Akıncı, TB2, and Burraq. 
3. Electronic warfare and surveillance aircraft include SAAB-2000 Erieye (AWACS), ZDK-03 (AWACS) and Falcon DA-20 (EW). 
4. Transport and Support Aircraft: For transport and support, the aircraft used include the Saab 2000, Gulfstream IV, Phenom 100 and C-130 Hercules. Uses include Saab 2000, Phenom 100, Gulfstream IV, C-130 Hercules. 

Apart from its efforts to actively modernize its fleet, the PAF is also replacing aging aircraft such as the F-7Ps and Mirage IIIs with more recent models such as the JF-17 Block III thunder and the J-10C. With more modern and sophisticated avionics, radar systems and weapons, these more recent aircraft enhance PAF’s operational capabilities. 

The analysis of the PAF’s capabilities is an operation, Sindoor:

India implicated the terrorist groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Operation Sindoor, which targeted nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. India struck mosques and other civilian infrastructure. Pakistan claimed the strikes killed 26 and wounded 46, including dead and wounded civilians. But India has not said Pakistan was correct when it claimed that it shot down five Indian planes in retaliation for India attacking Indian controlled Kashmir. A debate has arisen over the performance of Pakistan’s air defense systems and the PAF’s readiness to handle intrusions like this one. The effectiveness of India’s strikes means that even after the strong PAF fleet and a continuous modernization, Pakistan’s air defense and surveillance systems could have flaws. 

Modernization Challenges and Efforts:

In recent years, the PAF’s main focus has been on bolstering its offensive and defensive capabilities. There exists the following modernization initiatives. 

1. Aircraft Upgrades Modernized with advanced radar systems and long range missiles (PL-15) such as the JF-17 Thunder Block III and Chengdu J-10C fighters, have increased the PAF’s air to air combat capability. 
2. Air Defense Systems: To enhance its area denial capability, Pakistan has leaned on medium-to-long range surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) such as the HQ9BE and HQ16FE as well as electronic warfare systems. 
3. Since 2015, the PAF has been inducting unmanned aerial vehicles (UCAVs) such as Burraq to expand its drone capability to be used in combat operations. 

Despite these developments, however, problems remain. Part of the PAF’s fleet consists of older aircraft like Mirage III and Mirage 5 that are already more than 50 years old and becoming very hard to maintain. Additionally, it too remains unclear how well systems purchased in recent times will work in real combat situations. 

Conclusion:

In the meantime, the Pakistan Air Force has come a long way as far as refurbishment of its fleet and expanding its capabilities is concerned. It has exposed possible flaws in Pakistan’s air defenses, and continues to highlight the need for investment, and to remind us that money for quick response and early warning surveillance systems should continue. This proves even though PAF is still a strong force in the region, we need to be ready and adapt to the evolving threats at hand. To prevent growing friction between India and Pakistan, both nations must seek diplomatic solutions and think about the whole picture of the effects of military confrontations.