Exclusive: Pakistan's Chinese-made jet brought down two Indian fighter aircraft, US officials say
ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - A top Chinese-made Pakistani fighter plane shot down at least two Indian military aircraft on Wednesday, two U.S. officials told Reuters, marking a major milestone for Beijing's advanced fighter jet.
An Indian Air Force spokesperson said he had no comment when asked about the Reuters report.
The performance of a leading Chinese fighter jet against a Western rival is being closely watched in Washington for insights into how Beijing might fare in any showdown over Taiwan or the wider Indo-Pacific.
One U.S. 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, made by Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), opens new tab, 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 U.S. 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), opens new tab and the MBDA (AIR.PA), opens new tab, (BAES.L), opens new tab, (LDOF.MI), opens new tab consortium, which makes the Meteor air-to-air missile, could not immediately be reached for comment on a public holiday.Advertisement · Scroll to continue
