Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force (IAF), recently described the successful defensive maneuvers of the IAF's Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets during a heightened military standoff with Pakistan in 2019.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave, Air Chief Marshal Singh detailed how two Su-30MKIs protected crucial Indian assets from a potential attack by Pakistani F-16 fighter jets equipped with advanced AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) missiles.
His account highlighted the strength and effectiveness of the IAF's primary combat aircraft against a technologically advanced opponent.
The aerial confrontation between India and Pakistan in 2019 followed the IAF's airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp in Balakot on February 26, 2019. This strike was conducted in response to the Pulwama terror attack, which resulted in the deaths of 40 Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.
The Balakot operation, which took place deep within Pakistani territory, significantly raised tensions, leading to a Pakistani retaliatory attempt the next day. On February 27, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) initiated a large-scale operation, utilizing several fighter jets, including F-16s carrying AMRAAM missiles, to target Indian military facilities near the Line of Control (LoC).
The IAF responded by deploying its own aircraft to intercept the approaching PAF jets. This resulted in an aerial engagement where an Indian MiG-21 Bison, flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, successfully shot down a PAF F-16. However, Wing Commander Varthaman's aircraft was also hit, and he was captured after ejecting into Pakistani-administered territory.
While the encounter between the MiG-21 and F-16 received considerable media coverage, Air Chief Marshal Singh emphasized a less publicized but equally vital element of the conflict: the defensive role of the IAF's Su-30MKI fighters.
Air Chief Marshal Singh explained that two Su-30MKIs were assigned to safeguard key installations from a potential strike by Pakistani aircraft during the PAF's attempted raid. The PAF had deployed F-16s equipped with AIM-120C AMRAAMs.
These are beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missiles, possessing a range of over 100 kilometers (approximately 62 miles), providing a considerable advantage in long-range combat. The F-16s fired several AMRAAMs at the Su-30MKIs from their maximum effective range (known as D-MAX), intending to eliminate the Indian fighters and pave the way for their strike package.
Despite facing this threat, the Su-30MKIs, renowned for their exceptional maneuverability and sophisticated electronic warfare (EW) capabilities, successfully avoided the incoming missiles.
"The Sukhois did their job," Air Chief Marshal Singh confirmed at the India Today Conclave. He added they, "stood their ground...As Sukhoi managed to escape the AMRAAMs that were fired by the Pakistani F-16s at D-MAX."
It also stated that the missiles did not reach their intended targets, and remnants of some of these AMRAAMs were subsequently found on the Indian side of the LoC.
Analysis of the recovered debris indicated that the missiles had undergone mid-flight self-destruction, a safety mechanism incorporated to minimize collateral damage from unexploded ordnance when a missile fails to hit its target.
