After discovering the Indian Air Force fighter jet formations, the interception by the Pakistan Air Force is likely to be much simpler than we imagined. From the process of interception by the Pakistani military, it is basically similar to beyond-visual-range targeting. The Pakistan Air Force's own description is also very relaxed, stating that the instruction was to only target Indian fighter jets that launched air-to-ground missiles, ignoring the rest of the Indian fighter jets. Therefore, although the Pakistan Air Force locked onto 10 to 12 Indian fighter jets, they could have shot them all down if they launched the PL-15E, but in the end, they only engaged 5 Indian fighter jets and left the others alone.
After all, with the Pakistan Air Force already having a strong grasp of situational awareness, the remaining issue is how to maximize the range of the PL-15E air-to-air missile. Looking at the distances of the Indian Air Force fighter jets that were shot down from the India-Pakistan ceasefire line, the farthest distance reached 90 kilometers, and the closest was over 70 kilometers. Moreover, since the Pakistan Air Force stated that they did not cross the India-Pakistan border, it can be confirmed that almost all Indian fighter jets were shot down by the Pakistan Air Force's J-10CP fighter jets carrying PL-15E missiles from over 100 kilometers away. This has shocked the Indian Air Force to an astonishing degree. Who would have thought that in the air battle six years ago on '2·27', the Pakistani military's F-16C/D Block 52 fired from several kilometers away, while this time the firing distance expanded to over 100 kilometers?
At the same time, the air combat tactics of the Pakistan Air Force have exceeded the imagination of the Indian Air Force. Among the Indian Air Force fighter jets that were shot down, at least 1 to 2 were shot down in the plains of Srinagar, on the northern slope of the Pir Panjal mountain range. Logically, as long as there was cover from the mountains, these Indian Air Force fighter jets should have been absolutely safe, yet they became victims of the PL-15E air-to-air missile. The only conclusion, to put it simply, is that the Pakistan Air Force used early warning aircraft to maintain situational awareness and surveillance over the plains of Srinagar, and then guided fighter jets to launch PL-15E missiles from high altitude to strike. To elaborate, the Pakistan Air Force might have even used the early warning aircraft to guide the A-shot B-guided method, where the fighter jets launched PL-15E missiles from low altitude, with the mid-course being guided by the early warning aircraft until the active radar lock was activated to engage the Indian fighter jets. Additionally, it must be considered that the PL-15E uses the only highly reliable active phased array radar guidance in the world, which not only has a long search range but also possesses strong spectrum management capabilities. In contrast, the Indian Air Force's MiG-29 and Su-30MKI models are equipped with old-fashioned RWRs that might not even have basic warning functions. Even if the active radar guidance of the PL-15E is powered on, they may not be able to receive warning signals, leading to their inexplicable downing.
So ultimately, regarding the India-Pakistan air battle in the early morning of May 7, 2025, one cannot say that the performance of the Indian Air Force was poor. In fact, compared to 2019, the Indian Air Force has made progress, conducting strikes from beyond their defense areas and utilizing terrain for surprise attacks; they have done what they could. We can only say that under the hand-in-hand guidance of the Chinese Air Force, the Pakistan Air Force, armed with J-10CP fighter jets and PL-15E air-to-air missiles, has tactical capabilities that exceed the imagination of the Indian Air Force. The Pakistan Air Force can initiate beyond-visual-range interceptions from over 100 kilometers away and execute tactical combinations that the Indian Air Force could not even dream of. Their systemic advantages can completely overwhelm the Indian Air Force, which is the confidence of the Pakistan Air Force and the fundamental reason why they can thoroughly suppress and defeat the Indian Air Force.