@vishwambhar @Black Tornado @Windjammer
The 1965 conflict was a war of attrition in which both sides made exaggerated claims, which is typical of all wars.
Pakistan says the PAF defeated the IAF. But Pakistani claims are based solely on the number of aircraft lost, which was clearly higher on the Indian side. But war is not just about aircraft destroyed. War is about achieving objectives and air power is one of the several elements of strategy that help a country achieve those objectives.
But the reality is Pakistan’s chief war objective, the capture of Kashmir, failed utterly and it lost the majority of its armour, including 250 American made tanks. In the air, Pakistan was on the verge of disaster when the cease-fire was called. IAF lost 61 aircraft versus 43 PAF planes destroyed. But Indian losses were overwhelmingly on the ground. Due to the inexperience of its base commanders, the IAF lost 36 aircraft, including two of its latest MiG-21s, on the ground.These aircraft were destroyed because they were not sufficiently dispersed and camouflaged. Some of them had just landed back after operational sorties and were being refuelled.
in aerial dogfights, the IAF lost just 14 aircraft while shooting down 18 Pakistani jet fighters.Pakistan ended the war having depleted 17 per cent of its front line strength, while India's losses amounted to less than 10 per cent. Moreover, the loss rate had begun to even out, and it has been estimated that another three week's fighting would have seen the Pakistani losses rising to 33 per cent and India's losses totalling 15 per cent.
PAF chief Noor Khan(retd) agrees the PAF adopted a defensive strategy because it could not counter the asymmetry with the IAF. At that time, India produced the Gnat, the most successful fighter of the war, while Pakistan was totally dependent on imports.
PAF lacked the will for a war of attrition. On September 7, the Sabres made a surprise attack on Kalaikunda air base, shooting up two IAF Camberra bombers on the ground. Because the Sabres had missed a large number of aircraft, the IAF correctly guessed they would be back.
Greed clearly won over better judgement and the Sabres returned 30 minutes later, after refuelling. But this time the Indians were airborne and shot down several Sabres. This second attack was such a disaster for the PAF Sabres they never ventured to attack Kalaikunda again for the remainder of the 1965 war.
To be sure, the IAF wasn’t exactly doing great in offensive mode. On the Indian side MiG-21s had been inducted in limited nos and were not yet night capable for interception. Night flying of Gnat aircraft was limited due to poor cockpit lighting. The night fighter Vampires were already obsolete.
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so you can sleep well..... 
