China pays tribute to PAF’s air superiority by marking J-10C with six Indian kills

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), in a symbolic gesture of solidarity, has honored the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) recent combat success against India by adorning a J-10C fighter jet with “kill marks” representing Indian aircraft reportedly shot down during the engagement.

The tribute highlights the growing military ties between the two strategic allies and underscores the combat debut of Chinese-made weapon systems.

The kill marks displayed on the PLAAF jet reportedly represent three French-made Rafale multirole fighters, one Su-30MKI air superiority aircraft, one MiG-29 multirole jet, and an Israeli-built Heron Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone—all of which Pakistan claims to have neutralized during the May 7 aerial clash with India.

The engagement marked the first known use of China’s J-10C fighters and PL-15 air-to-air missiles in actual combat. The PL-15 is a high-speed, beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile capable of exceeding Mach 4, powered by a dual-pulse rocket motor and guided by an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar seeker. It is specifically engineered for long-range engagements and counter-stealth operations, positioning it as one of the most advanced air-to-air missiles in service.

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The deployment and successful use of the J-10C and PL-15 in live combat have provided valuable data for Chinese military analysts and defense observers, offering a real-world test of these systems under operational conditions.

The public acknowledgment by the PLAAF further reinforces the depth of military cooperation between China and Pakistan, both of which operate the J-10C—an advanced 4.5-generation multirole fighter developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) to compete with leading Western fourth-generation platforms.