Islamabad:
Chinese manufacturing combat aircraft may have stolen the center of attention after the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) knocked down six Indian combat planes, including the highly advanced rafale, but that extraordinary feat was not possible without a critical indigenous technology that sent shock waves worldwide.
“Our Chinese friends even want to know the operational details. How we did,” said a source aware of development.
When India included Rafale Jets in her Air Force, Pakistan lost “first shot” and the PAF was aware of the fact. The replica of the Swift operation in February 2019 in response to the Balakot’s blows of India was perhaps the last conventional battle and dog fight.
Even at that time, PAF showed glimpses of his skill in the electromagnetic sphere when the Mig-21 Indian stuck, which makes it difficult to escape death. But still, the PAF was far from having technology to excel in multiple domain.
The induction of J10-C was Pakistan’s response to Rafael from India, but that was not enough.
The paradigm shift occurred after Marshal Air Chief Zaheer Ahmad Babar took over the PAF in March 2021. He had imagined that future wars would no longer be conventional and, therefore, had begun to work on the idea of multiple dominance.
A “multiple domain” refers to operations that integrate and synchronize capacities in multiple war domains to achieve the objectives of the mission.
The key domains are: Traditional Air Operations, II) Earth-Coordination with Terrestrial Forces, iii) Mar-which involves Naval Power, IV) Space-satellites, missile, navigation (GPS) and communications warning, v) Cybernetic War-Guerra Digital, including the defense of the network and cybercrime operations, VI) spectrum (EMS) -Jammaming, Warfare Electronic Warfare, and offensive operations.
The PAF Multiple Domain operation covers images in real time, cyber units that disable the enemy radar, drones that provide surveillance and combat planes that launch precision attacks.
“Everything while coordinating through safe network communications,” said the source.
“In the modern war you can have many toys, but there is no use of those toys if they do not talk to each other,” according to the source.
For example, Pakistan has acquired radars from different countries. The integration of those technologies that have different origins was a task uphill.
The source said what the PAF did was that it developed an indigenous data link that integrated all these systems.
According to the modernization plan, the PAF established the Cyber PAF (PAFCC) command and the PAF (PAFSC) space command in Islamabad. The PAF also created the NASTP (National Park of Aerospace Science and Technology) that has become a center for several indigenous programs.
On April 28 and 29, PAF High Command was on a maximum alert. In the Command Operation Center (COC), the integrated system was tested for the first time at the Real War Theater, although the PAF made multiple war games to verify its effectiveness.
After midnight, the system immediately saw four Rafale airplanes when they took off and flew over the Jammu and Kashmir occupied by India. The air chief and his team were watching the movements of live airplanes. PAF airplanes were in the air in a short time and Pakistan managed to clog some of the Rafale systems, which forced the Indian airplanes to flee. The possible hostile act was frustrated.
All Indian combat aircraft, including 14 Rafale, when they took off the night of May 6 and 7 to launch a series of missile attacks inside Pakistan were immediately seen through electronic identifications. Up to 72 Indian combat planes were in the air and inside their territory. However, the Pakistani side could see and track its movements.
According to the rules of the commitments given to the Pakistani pilots, the Indian combat aircraft would only be fired if they release any weapon. At the time they fired missiles inside Pakistan, the rules of the commitments changed in the air and the PAF pilots were asked to tear them down.
Due to the integrated data link, the Pakistani pilots had a clear visibility and a necessary land support, which allowed them to reach the eye of the target bulls. This was for the first time that Rafale was shot down in a combat action. This was also the first time that Chinese and Western technologies were tested on the battlefield and China came out at the top.
Although the nearby cooperation of China-Pakistan played a key role, the importance of the indigenous system developed by PAF in recent years cannot be ignored, according to sources.
“Losing six combat planes in a battle is a massive blow for the Indian Air Force,” said a PAF officer, who added while the nation appreciated the victory they were preparing for the next challenge.
