This article has been written for Easy History by Dimas Galatas (ps).
Introduction:
In the early hours of May 7th, 2025, India launched a missile attack on Pakistan, claiming to have targeted terrorist sites. The reality, justification, and legitimacy of the situation will not be discussed in this document. This document will rather focus on the losses of manned aircraft in the area, from the start of the missile attack up until the evening, European time of the 7th of May 2025.
Due to the nature of the conflict; fake news, reports, footage, and claims are to be expected. In order to avoid political bias and stray away from false imagery, I will be thoroughly examining every piece of evidence used. I have striven throughout this article to provide an unbiased outsider’s perspective and my goal has been to examine the nature of the material aircraft losses during the first day of the conflict. I would also hope to warn readers against potential threats related to information and footage sharing.
First Loss:
The start of “Operation Sindoor” caught some by surprise, others not. The first strike used SCALP (aka Storm Shadow) cruise missiles and AASM HAMMER precision guided bombs, as can be reasonably ascertained from the Indian MoD’s official statement. These were dropped by Rafales and Mirage 2000s, escorted by Su-30s and MiG-29s. On social media, the explosions and consequences of the weaponry was quickly shared, and along it supposed videos of aircraft being shot down, intercepted, or hit by precision bombs.
Within hours, multiple pro-Indian users and news outlets posted videos of a supposed shot down Pakistani jet. Unfortunately, this video, along with other images from the same crash site, proved the opposite. This was in fact an Indian Mirage 2000, apparent by the engine, refuelling probe, and the MICA missile, all which were photographed.
Some users misidentified components of the airframe as the ones of the JF-17, although this was not the reality of the situation. Two such examples are attached below.
This is a screenshot from the video of the wreck. The refuelling probe matches the one of a Mirage 2000, combined with the colour of the nose and the engine. Many users believed it to be the probe of a JF-17, but this is probably not the case.
The claim of this ostensible “first” crash site being that of a Mirage 2000 is further supported by images of the engine, which we will now compare. The discovery of the wreck was streamed live on TikTok by User @Ray70409890, and many others. People have used this video, and the engine visible within it, to claim that this was in fact a Russian produced Klimov RD-93MA engine, which the Block 3 upgrade of the JF-17 received some years ago. Now we will disprove this claim, and further prove the claim that it is a SNECMA M53, used by the Mirage 2000.
In a side-by-side comparison, the similarities between the engine in the wreck and an intact SNECMA M53 are self-evident. That being said, as can be seen below, some things are missing – such as the sharp nose cone – but this can be reasonably attributed to being destroyed or lost in the crash.
In comparison- this is a Pakistani RD-93MA, which lacks the rills (marked above in red), and doesn’t have the sharp, straight shaped cone in the centre. This all means that we can be reasonably sure that an IAF Mirage-2000 was shot down.
Second Loss:
The second loss involved a Rafale. This summary will be rather quick, as there were few objections and distortions of these particular images. A few hours after the first posts concerning the Mirage 2000 confusion, a video was published showing an engine resting in a field. The camera man walks around the engine, giving us a decently clear view of its components and structure.
Comparing the exhaust nozzle, structure, and cables/pipes, it is easy to determine that this is indeed a SNECMA M88 engine, used by the Dassault Rafale, also operated by the IAF.
On the evening of the 7th May, French officials also confirmed the downing of at least one Dassault Rafale, marking the first combat loss of said aircraft type in history.
The Third “Loss”:
Shortly after the commencement of hostilities, a video began circulating of 2 ejection seats that had crashed into the ground in Pakistani Punjab. As can be seen from the screenshot below, the ejection seat was identified to be the Martin-Baker PRM4 seat, used in the Mirage III and Mirage 5 (both used by the Pakistan Air Force).
However, this video is from a Pakistani Mirage III “ROSE” crash from 15th April, 2025. Martin-Baker, as is tradition, also confirmed this through X (and their website), where the success of the ejection(s) was first announced. The Martin Baker website also clarifies that the crash was due to a mechanical failure.
The Fourth Loss:
Unfortunately, the fourth and final confirmed loss is still under debate and discussion. This loss is once again, attributed to the IAF, but the model of the plane is unclear. The loss of a third Indian aircraft was confirmed through footage of the wreckage. In the images and videos provided, there is only one identifiable piece among the wreckage: the ejection seat parts. As seen here, the ejection seat seems to be an NPP Zvezda K-36D or K-36DM. These ejection seats are used both in MiG-29 (K)s, but also in Su-30 (MKI)s.
Due to the lack of any footage (all we have is two photographs) and other means by which to verify, the model of aircraft remains unknown at time of posting. Debate surrounding the topic is still ongoing.
Fake News, Controversies and Propaganda:
As already mentioned, and shown, the spread of fake news and footage since the start of the conflict is quite common and absurd. To debunk, let’s start off with a particularly funny one.
User @jtidsfriend on X posted these screenshots, bragging about how the PAF, using JF-17s, targeted Indian air bases. Other users quickly pointed out the fact that these were screenshots from the hit game Battlefield 3.
Some more serious cases of misinformation include Indian, Pakistani, and even international news outlets providing old footage as “proof” of shootdowns on either side. This includes, but is not limited to:
The spread of propaganda and false footage is especially apparent on X, where “readers added context”, thankfully, has been correcting quite a few users.
Sometimes, readers can’t or don’t add that context and it leads us to posts such as these.
Summary:
The events that have taken place the since the escalation of the conflict are quite hard to digest, all over the place, and plagued by false information and propaganda from both sides. Collecting reliable information from the internet is quite difficult when real footage is being combined with old footage, images from other conflicts, video games, and even AI generated photos. Open source intelligence continues to do it’s best to provide reliable and correct information to the public, and to anyone interested in the realities of the conflicts.
For the IAF, the fist 24 hours of the operation have been ones of heavy losses. However, it must be remembered that the IAF (on the first day) was restricted by ROE that did not allow targeting Pakistani military assets. Regardless, the day still came at a heavy cost. Using confirmed information and images, it is safe to say that the material losses of manned aerial vehicles amount to:
- 1x Dassault Mirage 2000, IAF
- 1x Dassault Rafale, IAF
- 1x Su-30MKI or MiG-29K, IAF
This article comes off the back of the announcement of the ceasefire between the two nations. Perhaps now we shall have the ability to look at these losses, and any and all that came after, with a sense of clarity hitherto unfound.
About the Author:
“Dimas Galatas” is a student living in Norway. Most of his free time is spent on studying images and videos documenting vehicle losses and damage around the world.
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