First UAV Air-to-Air Kill
check out Russian Mig 29 and Israeli F-16 taking out the "little UAV" with their missiles. the area Indian Air force has been intruding for years is has a pivotal importance from the defence point of view and if Pakistan deploys long range SAMs there then they have the ability to engage Indian planes inside the Indian airspace. the IAF missions are what we call location.. where the incursions are intended to provoke a reaction of the enemy to betray its position. IAF is looking for radar and SAM signatures for its contingency planning.
re gun kill I am not sure how easy or hard it is for PAF pilot to score it against a very slow target at night. maybe other airforces have had a better luck but so far I have only seen missile engagements of the aircrafts.
why F-7s or mirages were not deployed...? its a valid question but my answer is controversial and please take it as an opinion.
since we got the MLU and 52 blocks, there was an understanding on the Indian side that these F-16s wont be able to engage or lock Indian airforce assets .. maybe there was some underlying message passed by the PAF,
the closest and most appropriate assets will be scrambled to engage a boggy before it reaches somewhere its shouldnt be or before it completes its mission and leaves the airspace. as it happens it was F-16s in each time whether to escort out the Indian Su30s or the drone. F-16s also nullify a possible chance of baiting or an ambush. last time we scrambled JF-17s to force land the Indian helicopter in northern areas so the chance of other planes is always there.
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Windjammer please confirm