Бывший офицер ВВС Пакистана признал, что ракеты F-16 уступили индийским Rafale по дальности в операции «Синдур»

A retired senior officer of the Pakistan Air Force has publicly acknowledged critical shortcomings in the beyond-visual-range missile capability of the service’s F-16 fleet that left the aircraft grounded throughout Operation Sindoor. Air Commodore Khalid Chishti (Retired) stated that the approximately 100-kilometre range of the BVR missiles carried by Pakistan’s F-16 Fighting Falcons stood in clear contrast to the roughly 150-kilometre reach of the systems fitted on India’s Rafale fighters, rendering the American-built jets too vulnerable to risk in the contested airspace of the May 2025 confrontation. Operation Sindoor, launched by India in response to a major terrorist attack, involved intense aerial activity, precision strikes on Pakistani airbases and supporting infrastructure, and the extensive use of long-range air-to-air and surface-to-air systems. Indian assessments and subsequent analyses described significant damage inflicted on Pakistani air assets, including F-16s struck while on the ground at facilities such as Jacobabad, along with the disruption of radar and command networks. In this environment, the disparity in missile ranges assumed decisive importance. The Meteor missile integrated with the Rafale offers not only greater reach but also a larger no-escape zone, enabling Indian pilots to engage threats while remaining outside the effective envelope of the AIM-120-class weapons typically associated with Pakistan’s F-16s. According to the retired air commodore’s assessment, this imbalance compelled the Pakistan Air Force to keep its entire F-16 inventory on the ground rather than expose the aircraft to first-shot disadvantages against Rafale formations operating with superior radar and weapons performance. The F-16 has long formed a core element of Pakistan’s air combat strength, valued for its agility and multirole flexibility. Yet the admission underscores how technological edges in sensor fusion, active electronically scanned array radars and extended-range missiles can constrain even capable platforms when the engagement geometry favours the opponent. Chishti’s remarks highlight the operational calculus that prioritised preservation of the fleet over high-risk sorties once the range disparity became apparent. The revelation has been characterised by observers as a difficult acknowledgment for the Pakistan Air Force, which has invested heavily in maintaining and upgrading its F-16 force over decades. While Pakistan has also inducted Chinese J-10CE fighters equipped with longer-range PL-15 missiles, the grounding of the F-16s during a major crisis illustrated the limits of legacy Western systems against more modern European platforms fielded by India. Indian sources have pointed to the combined effect of Rafale capabilities, S-400 air defence coverage and stand-off munitions as factors that restricted Pakistani air operations and contributed to the overall outcome of the brief but intense conflict. The episode forms part of the broader post-Operation Sindoor evaluation of air power balances in South Asia. Missile range, electronic warfare resilience and networked situational awareness continue to shape planning on both sides. For Pakistan, the comments from a veteran officer serve as a public recognition of specific capability gaps that influenced force employment decisions under pressure. For India, they reinforce the value of investments in aircraft and weapons that deliver first-look, first-shoot advantages. As both air forces absorb the lessons of the 2025 exchanges, the focus remains on closing or exploiting such disparities in any future contingency.