Operation Sindoor: 'my Money's On The Indians If...,' Says Ex-us Air Force Pilot Amid Peak India-pakistan Tensions

Dale Stark, a erstwhile US Air Force pilot, connected Thursday said successful a station that if nan tensions betwixt India and Pakistan escalate station Operation Sindoor, past he will stake each his money connected nan Indians. On Wednesday, nan Indian equipped forces conducted precise strikes connected panic camps linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) crossed 9 locations successful Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). 

"I’ve flown pinch some Indian and Pakistani combatant pilots during my career. I’ll conscionable opportunity my money’s connected nan Indians if this continues to escalate," Stark, who has besides served successful Afghanistan successful nan 2000s, wrote successful his station connected X (formerly Twitter). 

Well, Stark's stake on India does not travel without facts. After nan occurrence of Operation Sindoor, galore experts person been comparing India's astir eager defence acquisition from France -- Rafale -- pinch F-16, nan US's hand-me-down to Pakistan arsenic good arsenic JF-17, co-created jointly by Islamabad and Beijing. 

So, really is India's Rafale superior to Pakistan's F-16 successful position of aerial arsenal? Classified arsenic a 4.5-generation fighter, Rafale is nan astir precocious craft successful nan arsenal of nan Indian Air Force (IAF). In keeping pinch nan Indian subcontinent conditions, nan Rafales supplied to India characteristic 13 enhancements

The enhancements successful nan Indian Rafales see nan Meteor beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile, precocious physics warfare suits, arsenic good arsenic superior radar and connection systems. The aircraft's Thales RBE2 AESA radar, arsenic good arsenic frontal stealth capabilities, supply nan IAF pinch unparalleled situational awareness and survivability. 

Rafale's expertise to transportation precision weapons for illustration nan SCALP cruise missiles and HAMMER bombs utilized successful Operation Sindoor allows nan IAF to prosecute deep-strike missions pinch pinpoint accuracy. 

Pakistan's fleet of F-16s, connected nan different hand, is grappling pinch superior issues specified arsenic restricted usage cases and ageing aircraft. As per agreements pinch nan US, nan deployment of F-16s aliases their American-supplied munitions is strictly constricted to counter-terrorism and soul defence roles.

Pakistan can't usage it for violative operations against India. The fleet is facing maintenance-related challenges owed to financial constraints and America's hawk-eye complete nan usage of F-16s, frankincense starring to constricted operational capability.

F-16s are awesome for dogfights and person AIM-120C5 AMRAAM missiles but they deficiency nan precocious physics warfare and BVR capabilities that nan Rafale is equipped with. Besides F-16s, nan JF-17 Thunder is an integral portion of Pakistan's aerial arsenal. 

While JF-17 Thunder is cost-effective and versatile, it is simply a lightweight and single-engine pitchy which capacity and sensor limitations erstwhile compared to nan Rafale. The recently unveiled Block 3 version boasts precocious AESA radar and upgraded avionics. It besides falls short erstwhile compared to nan Rafale, peculiarly regarding range, payload capacity, and survivability successful contested airspace.

Published on: May 8, 2025 11:15 AM IST