In any war, losses are expected. Losing a Rafale is significant, but it also shows that the Indian Air Force (IAF) didn’t make more mistakes — overall, they lost max three aircrafts in 1st day while attacking land targets.
The key point is that course correction was made. As confirmed, most of the BrahMos strikes were launched from Su-30 MKIs targeting Pakistani airbases — later.
I’ve already pointed out the core challenges facing the IAF. It’s not about the quality of the aircraft or the skill of the pilots. The real issue lies in outdated strategy and tactical thinking. That’s clear from the fact that India still operates with only 3–4 AWACS and has virtually no dedicated electronic warfare (EW) aircraft. Modern warfare has evolved — and once the IAF fully embraces this, things will change dramatically. With 12–14 AWACS and 10+ EW platforms, along with ground-based and satellite systems, India’s capabilities would reach a one of the top level.
On the other hand, Pakistan’s biggest weakness is in its air defense systems. It lacks a multi-layered defense architecture. What Pakistan truly needs is a system similar to what Israel has — integrated, layered, and fast-reacting.
India may have started with losses, but they quickly exposed the vulnerabilities in Pakistan’s defense setup. And in today’s warfare, **you simply can’t win without effective defense**.
Pakistan began with an edge, but ultimately lost that advantage due to weak air defense. That shift decided the course of diengagement.