Thank you for the post Taha. I am thanking you even though I find your post highly insulting.
1- I from the start have maintained as a honest person unlike many on this forum, I never claimed I have inside knowledge.
2- If you read the post I responded, it contains the paragraphs that the higher ranks with in PA/PAF decided not to shoot down IAF jets. I wrote in response rather than assumptions as you write.
3- If you read my posts, I have always maintained what officially revealed by DG ISPR that IAF jets intruded 4/5 kilometers in to Pakistan Airspace. You have extended it to 10 Kilometers, but it doesn't matter.
4- I have lived all my life in the West, I think I have lot of knowledge, but I still thank you for the insulting comments that I don't understand Mach speed etc. Let me tell you I understand air combats very well. Like I said I responded to what was written in the post.
5- You and I both know the interception in Air Defense comes later, first is detection through radars etc. That is done well before any jets becomes threat to Pakistani air space or to Pakistani installations. What happened to the Air Defenses in Muzaffarabad area!!
6- I know there were sorties of IAF further down south up to Gurjanwala, if my memory serves me right. Does that provides excuse of intrusion!! How we didn't have good air defenses in Muzafarabad air pocket, considering it is the Capital of AJK!!
7- I purposefully mentioned OBL raids and lollipop given to the Pakistanis at the time by PA/PAF. That incident would always be in the history to give us shame, who brought us that shame!!
Lets look at that incident. The excuse was made that Black Hawks were stealth, therefore they were not detected by radars and air defenses. When you asked what about 2 heavy Chinooks landed at Kala Dacca, were they also stealth!! no answer coming. Chinooks were at Kala Dacca for 45 minutes with their engines running, making huge noise. All the surrounding villages could hear them, some could see them too. But our PA wasn't aware of them!!
Black Hawks maximum speed is 357 km/h, Chinook have 315 km/h. The distance between Bagram and Abbottabad is 372 km. It took both sets of helicopters well over an 1 hr to reach Abbottabad. We were told the copters used mountains to avoid detection by radar, in that case it would have even taken longer lets say 1:15 minutes. Same time to fly back. Add to that 45 minutes operation time, You telling me that for almost 3 hours PAF was blind!!
Thus, my response after it was claimed that IAF was not engaged because of wider implications. As a matter of fact we have already set precedence that we are an open game for anyone, now even for India if we fear for the consequences. That's why I call it cowardice.
Happy now!!!
Let me also assure you I am a patriotic person. I am no Bilawal or Nawaz. But with the same token I have got a brain and free thinking at it.
1) Firstly I had no intention to insult any one. So if you felt that way, I apologize.
>> You and I both know the interception in Air Defense comes later, first is detection through radars etc. That is done well before any jets becomes threat to Pakistani air space or to Pakistani installations. What happened to the Air Defenses in Muzaffarabad area!!
2) Recall that IAF was flying CAPs close to border for few days before the Feb 26. This increased air activity in my opinion was being done to provide cover for what was to come. In routine any unusual sized formation or increased air activity may raise suspicion, but in such heightened air activity such formation would not raise alarm unless it approaches border.
3) Kashmir is mountainous terrain, and terrain provides a good cover for any intruder.
> When you asked what about 2 heavy Chinooks landed at Kala Dacca, were they also stealth!! no answer coming.
> That incident would always be in the history to give us shame, who brought us that shame!!
4) Yes, I agree. Yes PAF was found lacking, but it does not mean we keep ridiculing them for all the years to come. Shit happens at times. Pearl Harbor happened to US.
5) I have skimmed relevant parts of Abbottabad Commision, if my memory serves me right these were main takeaways:
i) PAFs threat assessment did not perceive a threat from western border. (A faulty analysis but we are all intelligent in hindsight)
ii) Due to this threat assessment PAF's had not deployed Low Level Radars on western border in full numbers as would be required to provide reasonable coverage. This was unlike eastern border. American's knew about this and exploited these gaps in Low Level Radar coverage.
iii) Due to above threat assessment, Mobile Observer Units, were also not deployed on western border. MOU although is an old but still effective way to provide air intrusion warning.
iv) PAF conceded that even if it wanted to it did not have the required number of Low Level Radars to provide effective coverage to both fronts simultaneously. Pakistan's mountainous terrain complicates this problem. (My Opinion: Pakistan's Low Level Radars are quite old, and at least American may have been able to jam them very easily anyway.)
Anyways, if you opinion was that OBL raid gave the impression that anyone can come and bomb us, then recent PAF reaction more than corrected this impression specially to our neighbors in the east. That irrespective of what and why USA(super power) was able to pull off once; does not mean that you will be allowed to do that. So you should be happy that PAF corrected any incorrect impression Indian may have gotten from OBL raid.