On May 7, residents of Akalia Kalan village in northern India heard a loud noise. It was not the usual sound of jets from a nearby airbase. The sound was louder and followed by explosions.
People woke up and ran outside and saw a fireball flying over their homes. It turned out to be wreckage from a fighter jet as it crashed into a nearby field. Two villagers died due to the incident. The Economist reported that the two Indian pilots had ejected earlier and were later found injured in nearby fields.
The Economist exposes Indian Fighter Jet Crash
The global news magazine stated that India has not officially confirmed the cause but “it appears the crash was part of a four-day conflict with Pakistan.” Pakistan claims it shot down six Indian jets, including three French Rafales. India denies this.
“Military officials from other countries believe five Indian jets were lost, including at least one Rafale,” stated The Economist in an article.
Indian officers now admit to losing some aircraft. They say this may have happened due to Indian mistakes and not because of problems with the jets.
This was the first time Chinese-made weapons were used directly against Western and Russian systems.
China is Pakistan’s main arms supplier. Pakistan used Chinese J-10 jets and PL-15 missiles. The magazine reported that China may have helped Pakistan with early warning and real-time targeting data.
Interestingly, the magazine remarked that India’s initial losses may have come from how it used its jets, not from the jets themselves.
Indian admission of fighter jet crash
In June, Indian media aired a recording of Captain Shiv Kumar, India’s defence attaché in Jakarta, Indonesia. He said:
“India lost some aircraft only because its political leadership had ordered its air force not to hit Pakistan’s air defences. Instead, they targeted only militant sites on the first day. After the loss, we changed our tactics and we went for their military installations.”
In late May, General Anil Chauhan, India’s chief of defence staff, said India lost aircraft due to “tactical mistakes.” He said India changed its tactics after two days. It then allowed its jets to strike Pakistan from long range. India later had more success hitting military targets in Pakistan. More importantly, the CDS Chauhan inadvertently also admitted that Pakistan Air Force grounded the IAF for at least 2 days after it shot down multiple Indian fighter jets.
Some experts believe India’s Rafales were not equipped with Meteor missiles during the first attack. Others think the jets lacked updated jamming systems, software, or targeting data. Some also say India did not fully understand how Pakistan was guiding its missiles.
The news magazine suggested that if Captain Kumar was right, the responsibility lies with the Indian government. India has avoided escalation in past conflicts with Pakistan. But this time, it may not have considered Pakistan’s new capabilities.
Modi government facing criticism over cover up of fighter jet crash
Opposition leaders are now asking questions. Congress party spokesman Jairam Ramesh said:
“Why is the PM refusing to preside over an all-party meeting and take the opposition into confidence? Why has the demand for a special session of parliament been rejected?”
This incident could affect India’s upcoming defence deals as it remains the first country to lose Dassault Rafale in active combat.
Some Indian military officers say the Rafale underperformed. Others say Dassault has not shared the source code needed to upgrade the jets. Experts have remarked that Indian military refuses to acknowledge a simple thing: Pakistan outperformed and surprise India in the May war.
Since the conflict, Chinese diplomats have reportedly told other countries not to buy Rafales. They are promoting Chinese fighters instead.
Dassault executives are trying to reassure current buyers, like Egypt, Qatar, and the UAE. But they are careful not to upset India. It is not clear if Dassault is part of India’s investigation.
Dassault’s chairman, Eric Trappier, said:
“When the complete details are known, the reality may surprise many.”
“The Rafale was far better than anything China currently offers.”
He also called Pakistan’s claim of downing three Rafales “simply untrue.”
France is also under pressure. Marc Chavent, a member of parliament, asked if Rafale’s SPECTRA system had failed. He asked if new Rafales would get an upgraded version and whether France would design a jet focused on electronic warfare.
Meanwhile, in Akalia Kalan, families of the victims are waiting. Raj Kumar Singh died in the crash leaving behind a wife, two children, and an elderly mother. They have received no help or visit from officials. One villager said:
“The authorities want to bury news of this crash.”
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