Introduction:
For an introduction to the conflict consult, this article.
For an introduction to the type of air war seen in the conflict, consult this article.
For a breakdown of likely airframe losses on the first day, consult this article.
Following 3 days of constant drone and missile warfare (i.e. the 7th, 8th and 9th of May 2025) between India and Pakistan, the Indian Air Force launched – in the morning of the 10th – a wave of cruise missiles at Pakistani air bases and radar installations. Within hours of that attack, India and Pakistan announced a cessation of firing. On the same day, just before the Indian attack, Pakistan also launched an air strike (likely with ballistic missiles) on 3 Indian airbases (Udhampur, Pathankot and Srinagar). The goal of this article will be to provide an overview of the likely unit that was hit, the weapon(s) that was used, the damage done and – in the case of the Indian attacks – the likely objective.
Quick note on sources:
For the Indian side (i.e. damage done by India to Pakistan), I will be using this press briefing conducted on the 11th of May, as well as independently verified satellite imagery (verified by Damien Symon or @detresfa_ on Twitter/X). For the Pakistani side, I will be using satellite imagery released by the Pakistan Armed Forces as well as analysis by Damien Symon. However, to save space and to reduce wordcount, the Pakistani side of the battle will be told in the follow-up article.
Mainstream media analyses, particularly by CNN and Reuters, contain a lot of hearsay and since the statements of nameless, faceless and anonymous government officials cannot be independently verified and one must, therefore, take the media-house at their word, I shall not consult them here.
Overview of 10th of May Attack by India:
The Indian Air Force attacked multiple locations across Pakistan in the early hours of the 10th of May 2025. A map of IAF attacks is provided below. Note, this is based off the satellite imagery provided by the IAF itself in its May 11 briefing. As a note, this article will not cover the IAF strikes on PAF bases on the 9th of May. In total, the IAF has struck 9 out of 12 PAF bases, but this article will only cover the 10th of May strikes.
In the above-linked briefing, Air Marshal Bharti was asked – repeatedly – to comment on the platforms and weapons used by the IAF to deliver these strikes. He declined to comment at this moment, saying that it will be revealed at a later date. However, we can speculate with openly available evidence we do have, and arrive at reasonably solid conclusions as to what weapons were used.
According to this Twitter/X post, a nearly intact Storm Shadow low-observable cruise missile (also known by the French as the SCALP-EG) was recovered by the Pakistani military. Currently, the only platform in India’s arsenal that can launch the SCALP-EG is the Dassault Rafale. Furthermore, this post (also on Twitter/X) is testament to the likely use of the BrahMos-ALCM. Currently, only 40 Su-30MKIs in the Indian Air Force have the capability to launch the BrahMos-ALCM (it was tested on others, but never operationalised).
Quite apart from cruise missiles, it is also likely that the DRDO SAAW bomb was used. The SAAW – Smart Anti Airfield Weapon – is designed as a long range bomb that can crater airstrips and put them out of commission until they are repaired. This can be surmised by looking at the damage done to the runways of PAF air bases (photos given below). Currently, the SAAW is the only PGAAW in Indian service.
Just to keep things simple, we will be reviewing the damage at each location one at a time and going from North to South.
Chaklala (Nur Khan) Airbase:
Right off the bat, this is the airbase that was least damaged. Clearer satellite imagery (as is posted below) shows that what was hit was likely a motor pool – i.e. a place where the base’s trucks and cars would be parked. A nearby building also shows some minor damage, but again, nothing to write home about.
According to the Dutch Aviation Society, Scramble, (source to PAF ORBAT), Chaklala (aka Nur Khan and Islamabad air base) is a major logistics base of the Pakistan Air Force – this can be seen to be true based on the aircraft parked on the apron in the above photos. The following squadrons are present there:
- No. 6 “Antelopes” Squadron – C-130s of various types
- No. 10 “Buffaloes” Squadron – Il-78MP mid-air refuelers
- No. 12 “Globe Trotters” Squadron – a variety of VIP transport aircraft
- No. 41 Squadron – a variety of VIP transport aircraft
- No. 52 “Markhors” Squadron – CASA CN235M (a Spanish cargo aircraft)
Pasrur, Chunian and Arifwala Air Defence Radars:
Pakistan operates a number of capable surveillance, tracking and guidance radars. While it is not, at the moment, possible to identify which one was deployed at Pasrur, Chunian or Arifwala, the damage to them is fairly obvious. These two radars, likely to be one of the YLC-2s, YLC-6s or YLC-18 radars operated by the PAF, were responsible for providing the PAF with a complete picture of the battlespace over Northern and North-Western India. While we do not know, it is reasonable to assume that these three radars were targeted and struck by the SCALP-EGs before the bases were.
Once the PAF was blinded, even if it was temporary (the damage to the radars looks repairable – but we only have grainy satellite footage at the moment), the rest of the strikes would have been launched against the PAF bases.
Sargodha Airbase:
PAF Base Mushaf, also known as Sargodha airfield, seems to have been struck by the DRDO SAAW. The two craters visible above are evidence to this. Further to that, the craters are at vital points of the runway. The first (Area-1) blocks any planes from entering the runway from the apron via the taxiway. The second impact (and thus, the second crater) is roughly in the mid-point of the runway – this means that for any flight operations to take place, it has to be repaired!
When these photos were taken, it seems the PAF garrison was already hard at work repairing the impact at Area-1. However, the runway will remain out of operation for a few dozen hours – maybe a day.
Present at Sargodha were a series of combat formations of the PAF. They are as follows:
- No. 9 “Griffins” Squadron – F-16s
- No. 2 “Blinders” Squadron – Falcon 20 EW aircraft
- No. 82 “Stallion” Squadron – Augusta Westland 139 helicopters
Also present is the Airpower Centre of Excellence (sort of like Pakistan’s Top Gun):
- Combat Commander’s Schoo, JF-7 Squadron – JG-17s
- No. 23 “Talons” Squadron – F-7s
- No. 29 “Aggressors” Squadron – F-16s
Rahim Yar Khan Airport:
Rahim Yaar Khan is not a permanent PAF station – it is, in fact, a civilian international airport. However, it is used by the PAF as a forward air base when needed. The IAF targets here were, once again, the middle of the runway (rendering it unusable until repaired) and a building just south of the main civilian terminal building – likely the PAF C2 centre. Since it is not a permanent base, we do not know what PAF assets were present at the airfield during the Indian attack.
Sukkur Airport:
Sukkur, like Rahim Yar Khan, does not host a permanent PAF aircraft or squadron presence. However, it does host a permanent PAF radar. Based on the image above available, it is easy to conclude that it is either the AN/TPS-77 or the AN/TPS-43, both American made and relics of the cold war. The hangars seem to have been struck as a precaution. The IAF must have been confident that there were PAF planes present, as the runway has not been cratered.
Jacobabad Airfield:
The runway at Jacobabad has escaped damage – this could mean either the IAF didn’t target it, or the Pakistanis managed to intercept whatever was heading its way. However, the destruction of the Pakistani radars makes this latter option unlikely. At Jacobabad, the main target seemed to have been this specific hardened hangar. Seeing as Jacobabad is home to two F-16 squadrons (No. 5 “Falcons” and No. 11 “Arrows”), this would make sense. It is not known if any airframes were damaged.
Bholari Airfield:
This is likely the single most important target that the IAF has hit.
Bholari is home to two F-16 squadrons (No. 18 “Sher Dils” and No. 19 “Sharpshooters”), whose hardened shelters – some of them, at least – can be seen at the bottom left, on the other side of the runway. PAF Base Bholaris also, however, home to No. 53 “Hawks” Squadron, which flies one of the most important assets of the PAF – the SAAB 2000AEW Erieye airborne early warning and control system. Located at Bholari is one of 9 of the PAF’s Erieyes. The large hardened shelter that has been hit seems to belong to the Erieye. Currently, it is not know if the Erieye was inside at time of striking.
Why these targets and why so considered?
As Air Marshal Bharti said “Our aim was not to inflict casualties” (see the press conference for the quote). The IAF’s aim was to hit the PAF’s infrastructure and inhibit them from carrying out missions in the short term. Given the damage suffered by the PAF’s radars across the board, it would have been easy for the IAF to launch an attack – or a series of attacks – that could have crippled the PAF bases for a matter of weeks, however they didn’t. This is because the Indian attacks were, in essence, symbolic.
One can deduce that the reason the IAF did not hit targets that would have resulted in casualties is because they did not want to escalate the fighting. Generally, it is much easier to forgive loss of equipment and a bruised ego than a mass casualty event. Furthermore, the strikes were a sign – if the fighting goes on, then the IAF has proven that it has the capability to hit all PAF bases, despite incurring losses (aside from Easy History’s analysis, Air Marshal Bharti all but admitted to losses in the press conference).
The strike at Chaklala/Islamabad, though the least materially damaging, would have worried Pakistan the most as it proved the IAF’s capability to strike at Pakistan’s capital.
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