India dogfight loss raises questions about its ‘vintage’ military: NYT

NEW YORK: India has lost its recent air battle with Pakistan, which has raised several questions on the capabilities of its armed forces, said New York Times in its report.

An Indian Air Force pilot found himself in a dogfight last week with a warplane from the Pakistani Air Force, and ended up a prisoner behind enemy lines for a brief time.

After the announcement of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, the pilot Abhinandan Varthaman made it home.

The report said, the aerial clash, the first by the South Asian rivals in nearly five decades, was a rare test for the Indian military, its loss of two plane, last week to a country whose military is about half the size and receives a quarter of the funding was still telling.

If intense warfare broke out tomorrow, India could supply its troops with only 10 days of ammunition, according to government estimates, and 68 percent of the army’s equipment is so old, it is officially considered “vintage”, the report read.

Read more: India sacks Air Marshal after heavy losses by PAF

Gaurav Gogoi, a lawmaker and member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense said as was quoted by the NYT,  “Our troops lack modern equipment, but they have to conduct 21st-century military operations.”

The soaring tensions reached a new height between the two neighbouring countries as  two fighter jets of Indian Air Force were shot down by Pakistan Air Force in bright day light on Wednesday (February 27).

Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor said the military action from Pakistan was a demonstration of its defense capability as a reaction towards violation of Line of Control by Indian fighter jets on Feb 26.