India invested heavily in France's Rafale fighter jet

Pakistan’s military said they shot down five Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale and one each of Russian planes, a Su-30 and MiG-29.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Bloomberg TV that Pakistan’s military shot down five Indian jets and multiple drones in response to India’s airstrikes along the Line of Control. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also confirmed this, stating that the jets were downed in various locations. The military told Reuters the downed jets included Rafale, Su-30, and MiG-29 planes, saying they targeted Indian aircraft after they attacked Pakistan.

There was no word from India on the Pakistanis claims of the downing the jets, which would be the most serious loss for the Indian military in decades and risked further escalation.

The Rafale fighter is a new addition to India’s military, part of a plan to modernize its military, reduce dependence on Russian-origin equipment, and boost domestic weapons production to supply forces deployed along two contentious borders with Pakistan and China.

Before the clash, the Indian Air Force operated 36 Rafale fighter jets, while the navy’s aircraft fleet mainly comprises Russian MiG-29 jets.

India signed a deal with France’s Dassault Aviation on Monday to buy another 26 Rafale fighter aircraft worth 630 billion rupees ($7.4 billion) for its navy in late April.