The recent escalation between Pakistan and India, which brought both nuclear-armed neighbours to the brink of full-scale war, marked a significant shift in the nature of warfare between the two countries.
Unlike previous conflicts, Pakistan did not rely on US-supplied weaponry, while India has increasingly shifted from Russian arms to equipment sourced from Western countries.
The development is viewed not just as a Pakistan-India engagement, but as a real-world proxy test of Chinese versus Western military technology—potentially fuelling new competition in the global arms market and drawing diplomatic attention from Paris, Washington, and NATO-aligned states.
Several analysts have highlighted the air force engagements, with some pointing to the possible role of Chinese-supplied PL-15 air-to-air missiles perhaps being the difference-maker.
Images shared on social media show a section of the missile’s fuselage with visible serial markings and a seeker test port. Another image appears to show the missile’s seeker head, equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, known for improved tracking and resistance to jamming.