IAF Dominates PAF—Qualitatively as well as Quantitatively

The Indian public can rest easy: the IAF is not only prepared—it is pre-eminent. India’s skies are safe, sovereign, and supremely secured. Pauperised Pakistan is on verge of implosion.

Disclaimer:

This article is fully compliant with the latest Government of India guidelines. All data is drawn solely from public, open-source information. No classified, source-based, or real-time intelligence has been used. The locations, strength, or deployment details of Indian Air Force (IAF) assets have intentionally not been disclosed to preserve operational security and strategic ambiguity. Specific locations of Pakistan’s airbases, on the contrary, are actively highlighted solely on the basis of internationally available information on the internet.

This article is intended to instil national confidence and present an accurate, responsible, and comprehensive picture of the IAF’s unquestionable dominance—both in its offensive ability to strike deep and hard, and its defensive readiness to decisively neutralise any aerial threat. India’s air power, unmatched in the region, is a cornerstone of national security, and the Indian public can remain assured that its skies are guarded by one of the world’s most formidable air forces.

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IAF Dominates PAF—Qualitatively as well as Quantitatively

In the wake of the and ongoing recent cross-border hostilities, the Indian Air Force has once again demonstrated that it is not merely a deterrent power, but a decisive and overwhelming force capable of reshaping the tactical landscape within hours. As Pakistan resorted to provocative missile launches and unmanned drone attacks, its efforts floundered spectacularly—failing to hit any meaningful target inside Indian territory. The attempted incursions were intercepted, neutralised, and rendered strategically ineffective by India’s robust, multi-layered air defence network.

In sharp contrast, India’s calibrated and precise counter-strikes sent an unambiguous message. Not only was the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) headquarters in Bahawalpur neutralised with surgical accuracy, but Pakistan’s radar system at Lahore airport was also crippled, blinding a critical node of its western air command. These operations, executed with professionalism and strategic depth, reaffirm the technological, numerical, and doctrinal superiority of the Indian Air Force. As the possibility of sustained conflict looms on the western front, this article presents a comprehensive, factual assessment of India’s aerial dominance and the region’s shifting balance of power.

Combat Aircraft Superiority: A 2:1 Overmatch

The Indian Air Force maintains a diversified, battle-hardened fleet of over 1,700 aircraft, in contrast to Pakistan’s limited force of under 900. This is not merely a matter of numbers—it is a staggering mismatch in technology, resilience, and sustained combat potential.

India’s Fighter and Strike Aircraft (Approximate Inventory):

• Sukhoi Su-30MKI: 260+

• Rafale: 36

• MiG-29 UPG: 65

• Mirage 2000: 48

• HAL Tejas: 40+

• Jaguar IS/IM: 90

• MiG-21 Bison (phasing out): 90

Pakistan’s Fighter Aircraft:

• JF-17 (various blocks): 156

• J-10C (newly inducted): 20

• F-16 (varied blocks): 75

• Mirage III/V: 136 (ageing fleet)

• F-7PG (obsolete): 53

Pakistan’s attempts at modernisation remain partial and externally dependent. Its frontline aircraft are outmatched in beyond-visual-range combat, sensor fusion, and multi-role adaptability.

Strike Capability: Precision at Depth

India’s air strike assets are configured for deep penetration, strategic bombardment, and surgical strikes. Over 200 aircraft are dedicated to ground attack, armed with precision-guided munitions, glide bombs, and cruise missiles.

Pakistan’s offensive capability—centred at Kamra, Sargodha, and Skardu—is limited in reach, payload, and survivability. These bases, while functional, remain highly vulnerable to Indian counter-strikes in the opening hours of any conflict.

Helicopters and Drones: Multiplying the Battlefield Edge

India possesses over 350 military helicopters, serving roles from close air support to logistics:

• Attack Helicopters: AH-64E Apache, HAL Rudra, LCH Prachand

• Transport and Utility: Mi-17, Dhruv, Cheetah, Chetak

India’s drone programme is rapidly expanding, with operational and tactical UAVs such as:

• Heron (30+), Netra, SWITCH, Rustom, MR-20 cargo drones

• MQ-9 Reapers (on order)

These assets provide real-time intelligence, battlefield visibility, and unmanned strike options. Pakistan’s UAV and helicopter inventories are numerically smaller and qualitatively inferior, lacking deep ISR or long-range strike capabilities.

ISR & AWACS Superiority: India Sees First, Acts First

India’s advanced ISR grid comprises:

• Beriev A-50 AWACS

• DRDO Netra AEW&CS

• Gulfstream/Embraer SIGINT aircraft

• Heron and other UAV platforms

These assets provide persistent surveillance over hostile airspace and monitor Pakistani air operations at Masroor (Karachi), Jacobabad, Bholari, and Skardu. India’s ability to detect, track, and neutralise threats before they launch is unparalleled in the region.

Pakistan’s airborne surveillance is reliant on a limited number of Erieye systems, with coverage gaps that India can easily exploit through electronic warfare and saturation tactics.

Air Defence Network: A Multi-Layered Fortress

India’s airspace is protected by a robust, multi-tiered defence umbrella, which includes:

• S-400 “Sudarshan Chakra” long-range SAMs

• Akash and Barak-8 missile systems

• QRSAMs, SpyDer, and MANPADS

• Integrated radar and electronic warfare suites

These systems cover the western sector extensively and ensure layered interception capability. Assets are regularly drilled and integrated with real-time command and control systems.

Pakistan’s air defence network, in contrast, comprises older Chinese and Western systems, many nearing obsolescence and lacking real-time integration. Its bases—especially at Kamra and Mushaf (Sargodha)—are soft targets for India’s SEAD operations.

Strategic Resilience and Forward Posture

India’s airbases in the western sector are protected with hardened shelters, alternative runways, rapid repair detachments, and decoy infrastructure. Air assets are rotated frequently, making preemptive strikes by adversaries extremely difficult.

Pakistan, constrained by geography and logistics, is forced to centralise its operations at a handful of key bases—turning them into high-risk nodes during wartime. In any protracted engagement, these would be neutralised within the initial strike waves.

Readiness and Surge Capability

The Indian Air Force maintains a high state of readiness through year-round training exercises such as Gagan Shakti and tri-services simulations. The ability to surge hundreds of sorties per day, redeploy across sectors, and integrate joint commands ensures that India retains escalation dominance at all times.

Pakistan, while disciplined, is hampered by limitations in fuel stockpiles, munitions inventory, and access to spare parts—especially under wartime embargo or sanctions.

Geopolitical Realities and External Dependencies

Pakistan’s air force is critically dependent on China for platforms and on the United States for maintenance support for its ageing F-16s. In a full-blown conflict, external training, equipment, or funding would be difficult to access at short notice. Gulf states may offer symbolic support, but not meaningful military aid.

India, by contrast, has diversified partnerships with France, the United States, Israel, and Russia, and is rapidly becoming self-reliant through Make-in-India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives. India's global standing ensures strategic depth and logistical resilience that Pakistan simply cannot match.

IMF Bailout in the Spotlight: Pakistan’s Plea and India’s Firm Stand

Even as its air defences falter and its strategic depth contracts, Pakistan today finds itself staggering under the weight of its own contradictions—facing what its own Prime Minister has admitted is “a begging bowl economy.” With foreign reserves critically depleted, its stock markets in free fall, and inflation eroding its fiscal backbone, Pakistan is now visibly on the verge of bankruptcy and total economic collapse.

In desperation, Islamabad has turned once again to the International Monetary Fund, seeking an emergency $1.3 billion loan under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility. “We have suffered heavy losses at the hands of our adversary,” the Pakistani Prime Minister declared earlier this week, in what many see as a veiled justification to extract international sympathy and funds.

The IMF is set to take up the matter later today (Friday, 9th May, 2025). India, standing firm, has urged the Fund to impose strict and verifiable conditions, ensuring that no part of the bailout is misused for military escalation or cross-border terrorism. New Delhi has reminded the global community that repeated bailouts have only allowed Pakistan to survive as a pauper with a powerful army, perpetuating instability without delivering reform. It is now up to global institutions to demand transparency—and refuse to finance aggression.

In Summary: Total Air Dominance

The Indian Air Force stands as a shield in the skies and a sword in readiness. With a vast and versatile inventory of over 1,700 aircraft, a thriving drone and helicopter corps, sophisticated surveillance systems, and impregnable air defences, the IAF outclasses the Pakistan Air Force on every front—be it technology, scale, doctrine, or readiness.

Pakistan’s capability to launch and sustain air operations is severely restricted, while its vulnerabilities are exposed and easily targetable. India’s superiority is not just quantitative—it is qualitative, strategic, and assured.

The Indian public can rest easy: the IAF is not only prepared—it is pre-eminent. India’s skies are safe, sovereign, and supremely secured.

By Karan Bir Singh Sidhu, IAS (retd.) (Punjab Cadre, 1984 batch), policy analyst and geo‑strategic expert, retired Special Chief Secretary, Government of Punjab, and former Deputy Commissioner Amritsar (1992–96), Additional Deputy Commissioner Amritsar (1990–92), District Magistrate, Police District Batala (1989) – a frontline administrator who battled Pakistan‑abetted proxy war.