Pakistan wields Chinese weapons against India, and analysts take notes

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The outbreak of hostilities between India and Pakistan was short but sharp, including a long-range air battle on the night of May 6-7.

One of its most intriguing aspects was the confrontation between modern Chinese and Western weapons.

Pakistan relies heavily on Chinese-designed or manufactured weapons, whereas India fields an array of Russian and Western equipment.

Amid the fog of war, verifiable information is difficult to come by, as drones crisscrossed the border and aircraft traded beyond-visual-range missiles, said Brendan Mulvaney, director of the China Aerospace Studies Institute affiliated with the U.S. Air Force.

But he assessed that the conflict, christened Operation Sindoor by India, “clearly proves that Chinese-made equipment, even the export versions, are modern and capable, and are going to be a force to be contended with in the future, beyond just the borders of China.”

This skirmish essentially represented a testing ground for opposing weapons in a contemporary, real-world conflict. Lessons and performances will be carefully scrutinized by the two participants, as well as suppliers like China and France.

India and Pakistan declared a ceasefire on May 10.

Beijing is Pakistan’s primary supplier of military equipment. This includes more than half its 400-odd fighters, primarily the JF-17 but also the J-10C.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China has sold Pakistan $8.2 billion in arms since 2015. China was the world’s fourth-largest arms exporter from 2020-24, and Pakistan was China’s top customer. Islamabad consumed 63% – nearly two thirds – of Chinese weapon sales in that period.

“At this point it does look like a J-10C using a PL-15E shot down a Rafale,” Mulvaney said, referring to the French-made fighter jet in Indian service. “There are reports of other planes being shot down, on both sides,” he said, but admitted it is hard to confirm these claims’ veracity.

Both sides are reticent to acknowledge losses.

Social media contains photos of wreckage from Chinese-made PL-15E air-to-air missiles recovered by India. Mulvaney described the weapon as “modern, capable and largely equivalent to anything that the Indians could bring to bear, and it has a decent range, even the export version.”

Pakistani-owned Chinese aircraft and weapons “did what we’d expect them to do, and performed completely within what our assessments have been,” he added. “But we can’t make any comparative assessments at this point.”

India flew three different kinds of fighters, and it possesses fewer aids such as early-warning aircraft. This potentially advantages the Pakistan military in this kind of short-lived encounter.

Besides long-range aerial engagements, both sides also launched drones and cruise missiles against enemy infrastructure, bringing air-defense systems into play.

Pakistan depends on air defense equipment like Chinese-built long-range HQ-9, medium-range LY-80 (HQ-16) and short-range FM-90 (HQ-7) missile systems, whereas India fields the likes of the Russian S-400 and indigenous Akash.

China was swift to trumpet the superiority of its kit. For example, the China Academy, which describes itself as an “intellectual content network dedicated to helping global audiences understand China”, published an effusive op-ed praising Beijing’s tech prowess.

The author, Hu Xijin, extrapolated, “This would mark one of the most convincing real-world performances of Chinese weapons on the global stage – and a breakthrough moment for China’s military industry.”

Such hyperbole is premature, but Mulvaney pointed out “there’s no reason to think this won’t give China a credibility boost, which could lead to further sales around the globe.”

Chietigj Bajpaee, senior research fellow for South Asia at Chatham House, warned that China’s position “is far from neutral in terms of what its actions will be” in the coming days, weeks and months.

“If we see signs of this tension between India and Pakistan escalating to a broader conventional conflict, or even a potential nuclear conflict, I think it’ll play a more hands-on role,” he added.

Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.

新西兰基督城——印度和巴基斯坦之间的敌对行动爆发时间短暂但激烈，其中包括5月6日至7日夜间的一场远程空战。

其中最引人入胜的方面之一是现代中国武器与西方武器的对抗。

巴基斯坦严重依赖中国设计或制造的武器，而印度则装备了一系列俄罗斯和西方的装备。

美国空军下属中国航天研究所所长布伦丹·穆尔瓦尼表示，在战争迷雾中，由于无人机在边境地区频繁穿梭，飞机之间互相发射超视距导弹，因此很难获得可核实的信息。

但他评估认为，这场被印度命名为“辛杜尔行动”的冲突“清楚地证明，中国制造的装备，即使是出口版本，也是现代化且性能卓越的，未来将成为一股不可忽视的力量，其影响范围不仅限于中国境内。”

这场小规模冲突本质上是对现代真实冲突中敌对武器的一次实战检验。双方以及中国和法国等供应商都将仔细审视此次冲突的经验教训和武器表现。

印度和巴基斯坦于5月10日宣布停火。

北京是巴基斯坦的主要军事装备供应国。这其中包括巴基斯坦400多架战斗机中的一半以上，主要是JF-17，但也包括J-10C。

根据斯德哥尔摩国际和平研究所（SIPRI）的数据，自2015年以来，中国已向巴基斯坦出售了价值82亿美元的武器。2020年至2024年，中国是世界第四大武器出口国，而巴基斯坦是中国最大的武器客户。在此期间，伊斯兰堡消费了中国武器销售总额的63%，几乎占三分之二。

“目前看来，似乎是一架歼-10C战斗机使用PL-15E导弹击落了一架阵风战斗机，”穆尔瓦尼说道，他指的是印度空军服役的法国制造的阵风战斗机。“双方都有报道称其他飞机被击落，”他说道，但他承认很难证实这些说法的真实性。

双方都不愿承认损失。

社交媒体上流传着印度回收的中国制造的PL-15E空空导弹残骸的照片。穆尔瓦尼称这种武器“现代化、性能优异，基本可以与印度自身能够使用的任何武器相媲美，而且射程相当可观，即使是出口型也是如此。”

他补充说：“巴基斯坦拥有的中国飞机和武器的表现符合我们的预期，完全在我们之前的评估范围内。但目前我们还无法进行比较评估。”

印度出动了三种不同类型的战斗机，但其拥有的辅助设备（例如预警机）较少。这可能使巴基斯坦军队在这种短暂的遭遇战中占据优势。

除了远程空中交战外，双方还向敌方基础设施发射了无人机和巡航导弹，使防空系统投入使用。

巴基斯坦依赖中国制造的远程 HQ-9、中程 LY-80 (HQ-16) 和短程 FM-90 (HQ-7) 导弹系统等防空装备，而印度则部署了俄罗斯的 S-400 和国产的 Akash 等装备。

中国迅速宣扬其科技设备的优越性。例如，自称“致力于帮助全球受众了解中国的知识内容网络”的中国研究院发表了一篇热情洋溢的评论文章，盛赞北京的科技实力。

作者胡锡进推断道：“这将是中国武器在全球舞台上最令人信服的实战表现之一，也是中国军工产业的突破性时刻。”

这种夸张的说法为时尚早，但穆尔瓦尼指出，“没有理由认为这不会提升中国的信誉，这可能会在全球范围内带来进一步的销售。”

查塔姆研究所南亚高级研究员奇蒂吉·巴杰帕伊警告说，中国在未来几天、几周和几个月内的行动“远非中立”。

“如果我们看到印巴之间的紧张局势升级为更广泛的常规冲突，甚至是潜在的核冲突，我认为它将发挥更实际的作用，”他补充道。

戈登·阿瑟是《防务新闻》的亚洲特派记者。在香港工作20年后，他现居新西兰。他曾到访亚太地区约20个国家，参加过军事演习和防务展览。