This (pic) is of the Mirage 2000's M53 engine which can't be mistaken for M88 engine powering the Rafale as they have distinctive exhaust nozzles. The pics and video are from the crash site of an aircraft showing parts of its engine, including the exhaust nozzle, clearly points it to be the M88.
The video was shot in Punjab as people are talking in Punjabi and the wheat crop was harvested a while back. According to reports the crash site is near Akali Khurd village in Bathinda district of Punjab.
The straight-line distance between Akali Khurd and the international border is around 95 km and the straight-line distance between Akali Khurd and Bahawalpur in Pakistan, which was one of the targets of India’s strike, is 175 km.
What was the Rafale doing there? Was it returning after launching the SCALP cruise missile or HAMMER smart munition at its target in Bahawalpur when it was brought down from across the border by a long-range air-to-air missile or a surface-to-air missile?
For years India has been saying they would not hesitate to bomb Bahawalpur. After the Pahalgam terror strike, Pakistan must have anticipated that this time Bahawalpur would be targeted and Rafales would be used for this critical mission.
So, they placed PL-15E air-to-air missile-equipped J-10Cs on constant patrol starting April 22, the day of the massacre at Pahalgam. The Indian strikes started at 1.05 am on May 7 and lasted till 1.35 am.
The moment the strikes started, PAF AWACS vectored the interceptors to take down any Indian Air Force aircraft approaching the international border, however deep it was inside Indian territory.
The Rafale which was shot down managed to release its air-to-ground weapons before it was hit and that explains it carrying only MICA missiles and no other munitions. If it was on combat air patrol it would be definitely carrying Meteor long-range air-to-air missiles given the threat posed by PAF fighters armed with PL-15E.
However, in the wreckage, only MICA air-to-air missiles are seen. It was on a strike mission with air-to-ground ammunition with MICA missiles for self-defence. Losing a Rafale will definitely hit the morale of the forces.
The video was shot in Punjab as people are talking in Punjabi and the wheat crop was harvested a while back. According to reports the crash site is near Akali Khurd village in Bathinda district of Punjab.
The straight-line distance between Akali Khurd and the international border is around 95 km and the straight-line distance between Akali Khurd and Bahawalpur in Pakistan, which was one of the targets of India’s strike, is 175 km.
What was the Rafale doing there? Was it returning after launching the SCALP cruise missile or HAMMER smart munition at its target in Bahawalpur when it was brought down from across the border by a long-range air-to-air missile or a surface-to-air missile?
For years India has been saying they would not hesitate to bomb Bahawalpur. After the Pahalgam terror strike, Pakistan must have anticipated that this time Bahawalpur would be targeted and Rafales would be used for this critical mission.
So, they placed PL-15E air-to-air missile-equipped J-10Cs on constant patrol starting April 22, the day of the massacre at Pahalgam. The Indian strikes started at 1.05 am on May 7 and lasted till 1.35 am.
The moment the strikes started, PAF AWACS vectored the interceptors to take down any Indian Air Force aircraft approaching the international border, however deep it was inside Indian territory.
The Rafale which was shot down managed to release its air-to-ground weapons before it was hit and that explains it carrying only MICA missiles and no other munitions. If it was on combat air patrol it would be definitely carrying Meteor long-range air-to-air missiles given the threat posed by PAF fighters armed with PL-15E.
However, in the wreckage, only MICA air-to-air missiles are seen. It was on a strike mission with air-to-ground ammunition with MICA missiles for self-defence. Losing a Rafale will definitely hit the morale of the forces.
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