LONDON (The Thursday Times) — The serial numbers of four Indian Air Force Rafale fighter jets allegedly shot down during a major aerial confrontation with Pakistan in May have been identified, according to an investigative report published by the British defence magazine Key Aero.
The report said that during a fifty-two minute air engagement between Pakistan and India on May 7, the Indian Air Force lost four Rafale aircraft bearing the serial numbers BS-001, BS-021, BS-022 and BS-027. Key Aero said the identification was derived from electronic intelligence and later corroborated through human and open-source intelligence assessments.
The magazine noted that Indian authorities have not released clear post-engagement imagery or official documentation confirming the operational status of the aircraft in question, despite public denials of large-scale losses.
The confrontation, described by analysts as among the most significant beyond visual range air battles witnessed in South Asia, followed heightened tensions after an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April. India launched air operations under what it termed Operation Sindoor, while Pakistan responded with a counter-operation it called Bunyan-un-Marsoos.
According to Key Aero, Pakistan’s Air Force relied heavily on integrated multi-domain operations, combining airborne early warning, long-range air-to-air missiles, electronic warfare and cyber capabilities. The report said this approach degraded Indian situational awareness during the engagement.
The magazine also referred to further reported losses during the confrontation, including MiG and Sukhoi aircraft as well as unmanned aerial vehicles, alongside wider claims about the scale of damage sustained by Indian forces.
The report further claimed that on May 10, a Pakistan Air Force JF-17C Block 3 struck components of an Indian S-400 air defence system deployed at Udhampur, disabling key radar elements. Indian authorities have not publicly acknowledged damage to the system, although Prime Minister Narendra Modi later visited the site.
Key Aero also cited Pakistani claims that cyber operations were integrated with conventional air activity during the confrontation, resulting in widespread disruption to Indian digital networks.
In an interview with Bloomberg Television on May 31, India’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, acknowledged that Indian aircraft had been shot down during the confrontation, though he declined to specify the number. “What is important is not the aircraft being downed, but why they were downed,” he said.
The report placed the May engagement in the context of previous air clashes between the two rivals, recalling the 2019 Operation Swift Retort, during which Pakistan shot down an Indian MiG-21 following Indian air strikes inside Pakistani territory.
