NEW DELHI: Indian security expert Bharat Karnad has criticised the country’s war strategy and the failure of Rafale fighter jets during the recent four-day conflict with Pakistan, calling for a major overhaul of the country’s defence planning.
Emeritus Professor of National Security Studies at the Centre for Policy Research, during an interview with News Click, mentioned the strategic and technological failures of India.
He slammed Narendra Modi’s government for allowing the US to interfere after the Pahalgam incident.
The expert questioned the performance of the Indian Air Force (IAF), adding that the IAF’s overreliance on expensive French Rafale jets backfired badly.
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) reportedly deployed Chinese J-10C fighter jets, Swedish Saab Erieye AWACS, and long-range PL-15 missiles to shoot down up to five Indian aircraft, including two Rafales.
These advanced systems revealed critical vulnerabilities in India’s highly publicised Rafale jets, which analyst Bharat Karnad described as being reduced to “$250 million sitting ducks.”
Karnad acknowledged that the PAF employed smart tactics by launching PL-15E long-range missiles from within Pakistani airspace, with targeting support from Saab Erieye AWACS aircraft.
On his official website, defence analyst and Emeritus Professor Bharat Karnad acknowledged that during most of Operation Sindoor, Indian Rafale jets largely avoided flying near the Line of Control (LoC), maintaining a distance of around 300 kilometres within Indian airspace.
Expressing concern, Karnad noted that this cautious approach underscored how perilous the skies had become for India’s most expensive fighter aircraft during the operation.
He questioned the cost-effectiveness of deploying Rafales in such a limited role, essentially as long-range missile platforms.
Critics have raised similar concerns, asking why India’s domestically produced Tejas jets—available at a fraction of the cost—aren’t being used for such missions instead.
The Rafale, priced at approximately $250 million per unit, was heavily championed by former Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa as a game-changing addition to the Indian Air Force.
However, senior retired officers are questioning whether this was a wise choice. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has successfully established an effective “kill chain” by prioritising advanced radar systems and long-range weaponry over costly, high-profile fighter platforms.
This approach, relying on fewer and more affordable jets, has proven both efficient and strategically sound.
Analysts have also questioned India’s substantial investment in Rafale jets, arguing that the indigenous Tejas aircraft could have delivered comparable results at a significantly lower cost.
Once hailed as India’s most formidable aerial asset, the Rafale has come under scrutiny for its underwhelming performance during recent limited military engagements.
Reports from international news outlets like CNN, Reuters, and The Telegraph say that Pakistan’s Chinese-made J-10C jets brought down at least two Rafales, along with a Su-30 and two Mirage 2000s.
