Reuters, citing Pakistani and Indian officials, reports that Pakistan shot down an Indian Rafale fighter jet on 7 May using a Chinese-made PL-15 missile launched from a J-10C about 200 kilometres away—well beyond the 150-kilometre range New Delhi believed the weapon could reach. The intelligence miscalculation left the Rafale pilots convinced they were outside Pakistan’s firing envelope, according to the officials. The night-time engagement, ordered by Pakistan Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Sidhu, featured roughly 110 aircraft and is considered the largest air battle in decades. Islamabad linked air, land and space sensors through its locally developed “Data Link 17” network, allowing J-10Cs to fly with radars off and employ electronic warfare that Pakistani sources say disrupted Indian systems; Indian officials dispute the scale of that jamming. India has not publicly acknowledged the loss, and its defence ministry declined Reuters’ requests for comment. After the initial setback, New Delhi modified tactics and used BrahMos cruise missiles against Pakistani infrastructure before both nuclear-armed neighbours accepted a U.S.-brokered cease-fire on 10 May. The episode rattled markets—Dassault Aviation shares slipped—and prompted Indonesia and other prospective buyers to reassess Rafale purchases in favour of Chinese platforms.