India Displays AMRAAM Missile Wreckage as Evidence of Pakistan F-16 Attack

The Indian Air Force on Thursday displayed a portion of Raytheon manufactured AIM-120C-5 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) claiming it as an evidence that Pakistan engaged its F-16 fighter jets in the recent airstrikes in Indian airspace.

In a joint press conference by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, pieces of F-16 AMRAAM air-to-air missile was displayed before the media as the evidence that falsified Pakistani claims of not using F-16 fighters to target India.

“Pakistan claimed they did not use F-16. There are enough evidences through electronic signature that F-16 was used. Parts of AMRAAM air-to-air missile, which is carried only by PAF F-16, was recovered east of Rajouri within the Indian territory,” Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor was quoted as saying by The Statesman Thursday.

“On 27 February at 1000 hours, IAF radars detected a large package of PAF aircraft heading towards the Indian territory. They breached the Indian airspace west of Rajouri in the Sundarbani area,” he said narrating the details of the Pakistani violation of the Indian airspace.

“IAF fighters were tasked to intercept the intruding Pakistani aircraft and foiled their attack. Although PAF jets dropped bombs, they were unable to cause any damage to our military installations,” he said.

The AVM said that in the aerial combat one PAF F-16 was shot down by an IAF MiG-21 Bison aircraft and it fell across the LoC in PoK.

“Fact is that Indian Army units reported sighting two parachutes falling in PoK which were of two F-16 pilots shot down by the IAF MiG,” he said, adding that Pakistan accepted that they had only one IAF pilot in captivity only in the evening.

If the Indian claim of sighting two pilots is true, it indicates that the aircraft Pakistan used is a twin-seater F-16B or D model.

He said that the IAF deployed Sukhoi Su-30 MKI, Mirages and MiG-21 Bison to intercept the PAF fighters. The PAF fighters comprised F16 and JF17s and “perhaps Mirages”, Kapoor said.