One of the world’s largest air battles takes place between India and Pakistan.
A Pakistani military source told CNN that during the Indian attack on Pakistan, one of the largest and longest “dogfights” in the world and in the history of aerial combat took place.
According to him, the dog fight lasted more than an hour and involved 125 fighters from both sides.
(A dog fight is the most difficult and dangerous battle a pilot can experience. In this type of conflict, warplanes are placed at a short distance from each other and perform complex maneuvers to try to gain a better position to attack or escape. These maneuvers include turns, climbs, and spiral movements that are carried out to overcome the opponent.
The Pakistani military source then said that neither side left their airspace during the battle and that the exchange of missiles took place at distances of more than 160 kilometers in some cases. The source added that both countries refrained from crossing the border with their fighter jets to avoid a repeat of the 2019 clash, when an Indian pilot was shot down in Pakistani territory and was shown on television before returning to India. The source said that such humiliation is not something that either side wants to experience this time.
He noted that in some cases, the Indian Air Force was forced to strike targets multiple times. According to the source, Pakistan tried to warn civilians in potential target areas and the army was able to minimize civilian casualties.