Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated sharply following a major cross-border strike by the Indian military on Wednesday, with Pakistan claiming it has downed multiple Indian fighter jets in what may be the most intense confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors in over two decades.
According to Pakistani officials, five Indian aircraft were brought down during the exchange. The list includes “three Rafale jets, a MiG-29, and one Su-30,” Pakistani authorities said. While these claims have yet to be independently verified, two videos circulating on social media appear to show the wreckage of crashed aircraft.
India launched a strike targeting sites it described as “terrorist infrastructure” inside Pakistani territory and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The move comes two weeks after a deadly attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir left 26 dead. New Delhi has blamed Islamabad for the incident.
An Indian official told Reuters that one Indian fighter jet crashed inside Indian Kashmir and that the pilot was taken to a hospital for treatment. The official did not comment on the cause of the crash or provide additional details.
New footage from the village of Aklian Kalan in India’s Punjab Province showing the wreckage of an Indian Rafale Multirole Fighter.
The video shows the remains of the jet, including a French MICA air-to-air missile still attached to its launcher. pic.twitter.com/gxltKNaO1Q
— OSINTWarfare (@OSINTWarfare) May 7, 2025
Open-source intelligence analysts have reviewed video footage of the aftermath and suggested that the Indian Air Force may have lost at least one Rafale and one Mirage 2000 during the mission.
And the only matching engine I can find to this visual of the engine from the wreckage is the snecma M53-p2 used by the mirage 2000. Note the concentric circles on the hood extention fore of the fan. https://t.co/7FhjacWqBo pic.twitter.com/Iiq2Fl23xf
— Abhijit Iyer-Mitra (@Iyervval) May 7, 2025
“It remains unclear whether these were the result of enemy fire or mechanical failure,” one analyst noted.
The Pakistani Ministry of Defense condemned the Indian strikes as “a blatant act of aggression” and reiterated that the country “reserves the right to respond with appropriate force.”
India’s Ministry of Defense has not yet issued a formal statement on Pakistan’s downing claims or the videos circulating online.