US officials say China-made fighters downed two IAF aircraft

WASHINGTON/BEIJING: A top Chinese-made Pakistani fighter jet shot down at least two Indian military aircraft on Wednesday, confirmed two US officials, marking a major milestone for Beijing’s advanced fighter jet.

An Indian Air Force (IAF) spokesperson refused to comment when asked about confirmation about the development, reports a UK-based international wire agency.

One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was high confidence that Pakistan had used the Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against Indian fighter jets -- bringing down at least two.

Another official said at least one Indian jet that was shot down was a French-made Rafale fighter aircraft. Both officials said Pakistan’s F-16 aircraft were not used in the shootdown.

Delhi has not acknowledged the loss of any of its planes and instead said it carried out successful strikes against what it said was “terrorist” infrastructure inside Pakistan.

World powers from the US to Russia and China have called for calm in one of the world’s most dangerous, and most populated nuclear flashpoint regions.

In France, Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation (AM.PA), MBDA (AIR.PA), could not immediately be reached for comment on a public holiday.

The statement by the two US officials marks the first Western confirmation that Pakistan’s Chinese-made jets were used in the shootdown. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif Thursday confirmed that J-10 was used to shoot down three French-made Rafale planes. Rafale and the model of J-10 used by Pakistan are both considered generation 4.5 fighter jets, placing them at the leading edge of combat aircraft. However, contrary to the confirmation of the use of Chinese-made jet fighters, China’s Foreign Ministry Thursday said it was “not familiar with the matter” when asked whether Chinese jets were involved in the India-Pakistan conflict after India hit Pakistan and Azad Kashmir with missiles on Wednesday, the wire agency reported.