Pakistan has credited No. 15 Squadron of Pakistan Air Force (PAF), also known as Cobras, for “shooting down” six Indian Air Force fighter jets during the recent military stand-off between the two countries.
According to Pakistani media reports, PAF formally acknowledged that the Kamra-based Cobra squadron, armed with Chengdu J-10C multi-role fighter jet, led the charge of Pakistan's air defence. Pilots from this squadron are expected to be publicly named and honoured at a formal ceremony later.
Pakistani military official account claims that the Chinese-supplied J-10C fighters, equipped with PL-15 BVR Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles brought down three Rafales, a Mirage-2000, Su-30MKI, and MiG-29.
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“The pilots involved in the operation will be honoured soon. These are some of the finest aviators in our ranks and their performance speaks for itself,” Dawn quoted a senior PAF official as saying.
The official claimed that the PAF targetted the Rafales first because the Indian Air Force “expected them to be game-changers.”
"From heroic air battles in the 1965 war, where Flt Lt Imtiaz Bhatti downed two Indian Vampires, to Cold War-era vigilance during the Soviet-Afghan War, the squadron has always remained combat-ready...Now equipped with J-10C 4.5+ generation fighters, the Cobras continue to embody precision, courage, and aerial dominance," the PAF media directorate stated in a release.
