How India's Operation Sindoor crushed China's defense industry; Pakistan's lies backfire as countries cancel J-10C orders

 

NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday detailed how the Indian Air Force (IAF) bypassed Pakistan's China-supplied defence systems to destroy military targets in the country during Operation Sindoor. In a detailed statement, the government also confirmed that Pakistan's foiled attacks on Indian cities and military sites involved Chinese and Turkish-origin weapon systems, including PL-15 missiles and Bayraktar-style drones, all of which were successfully neutralised by Made-in-India defence technologies.The government's detailed press release mentioned that Operation Sindoor underscored not just the precision of India's military action but also its technological self-reliance, marking a milestone in the country’s defence doctrine.“Operation SINDOOR emerged as a calibrated military response to an evolving pattern of asymmetric warfare… India’s response was deliberate, precise, and strategic,” the statement read.**Operation Sindoor** was a limited military operation launched by India in May 2025, in response to a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, that killed 26 civilians. India accused Pakistan-based groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba of orchestrating the attack, which Pakistan denied. The operation involved precision missile and air strikes on nine alleged terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, with India emphasizing that no Pakistani military or civilian facilities were initially targeted. The conflict escalated briefly with tit-for-tat retaliations, including drone and artillery exchanges, lasting about five days before a ceasefire.

Claims that Operation Sindoor "crushed" China's defense industry stem primarily from **Indian nationalist media and opinion pieces**, such as a December 2025 Zee News article portraying the operation as exposing failures in Chinese-supplied equipment to Pakistan (e.g., J-10C fighters, HQ-9 air defenses, PL-15 missiles). These sources argue that Indian indigenous systems (like Akash, BrahMos) and Western platforms (Rafale) outperformed Chinese ones, leading to alleged cancellations of J-10C/JF-17 orders by countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Nigeria.

However, these assertions are **highly contested and lack independent verification**:

- During the conflict, **Pakistan claimed its J-10C fighters shot down multiple Indian aircraft, including up to three Rafales**, using PL-15 missiles. These claims were amplified by Pakistani officials and some Chinese media but were dismissed by India as disinformation, with no wreckage or evidence provided by Pakistan.

- Independent sources (e.g., Wikipedia entries, Western analyses) note that Pakistan's downing claims remain **unsubstantiated**, while some reports highlight concerns over Western tech (Rafale) potentially being vulnerable to Chinese systems.

- No credible global reports confirm widespread cancellations of Chinese fighter orders post-conflict. Pakistan continues to operate and integrate J-10CEs, and China's arms exports face ongoing scrutiny but not a documented "collapse" tied directly to this event.

The narrative of Pakistan's "lies backfiring" and damaging China's industry appears rooted in **propaganda from the Indian side**, mirroring Pakistani claims of victories. Both nations engaged in intense information warfare, with satellite imagery and briefings used to support conflicting versions. Neutral observers describe the operation as demonstrating India's willingness to strike deeper into Pakistan but also highlighting risks of escalation, without a clear "crushing" blow to any party's defense sector.

In summary, while the conflict tested Chinese-supplied hardware in real combat—a rare occurrence—the outcomes remain disputed, with no consensus that it devastatingly harmed China's defense exports. Geopolitical rivalries amplified exaggerated claims on both sides.