Pakistan likely used NATO-Style aerial tactics taught by China during Operation Sindoor
New Delhi: During India’s Operation Sindoor, particularly on 7 May, Pakistan is believed to have deployed NATO-style aerial combat tactics taught by China, tactics originally developed by Western air forces. This revelation, reported by ThePrint, has raised serious concerns among Indian defence planners and Western security establishments.
According to ThePrint, one of the key tactics observed was the "launch-and-leave" strategy, commonly used in NATO air forces. In this method, one aircraft fires a missile and disengages immediately to avoid enemy detection, while a second aircraft with superior radar capability guides the missile to its target. This coordinated tactic allows forces to strike at long range even in environments dense with air defence systems.
Defence sources told ThePrint that these tactics were likely executed using Chinese-supplied J-10CE fighter jets and the Saab 2000-based Erieye Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) systems currently in Pakistan Air Force service. The sources added that China has trained Pakistani pilots in these advanced techniques.
What’s more alarming, ThePrint reported, is how China acquired these capabilities. Over the past decade, Beijing has clandestinely recruited former military pilots and air operations experts from NATO countries, particularly from the Five Eyes alliance (the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand), to train the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).
In 2022, the UK Ministry of Defence confirmed that nearly 30 ex-British military pilots were being lured with lucrative contracts to pass on their expertise to China. A 2023 Der Spiegel report further revealed that former Luftwaffe pilots had also been training PLAAF personnel, with some possibly simulating combat scenarios involving Taiwan.
In 2024, a joint intelligence bulletin by the United States and its Five Eyes partners warned that the PLA was using private intermediaries in South Africa and China to hire former Western military personnel. These recruits include fighter pilots, flight engineers, and command center staff, all targeted for their deep knowledge of Western air combat doctrine and planning methods.
“The PLA wants the skills and expertise of these individuals to make its own military air operations more capable while gaining insight into Western air tactics,” the bulletin said. “This knowledge directly threatens the security of the US, its allies, and their armed forces.”
ThePrint notes that the resurgent threat lies not only in China's ability to modernize its own military but in its successful export of sophisticated air combat strategies to Pakistan. This transfer of tactical knowledge could significantly shift the aerial balance in South Asia and complicate India’s operational preparedness on its western front.
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Double-decker electric bus gutted in fire at Kurla BEST depot
Mumbai (PTI): An empty double-decker electric bus was gutted in a fire during servicing at a BEST depot in Mumbai's Kurla area on Sunday, officials said, adding that nobody was injured.
The blaze broke out inside the Kurla BEST bus depot near Kanakia Building at 4.14 pm, according to preliminary information from the Mumbai Fire Brigade.
The parked bus was unoccupied at the time of the incident.
Fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control. The exact cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, they said.
No injuries were reported in the incident, officials added.
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking has hired 50 electric double-decker buses from Switch Mobility in its fleet of around 2,700 buses.
