China’s ‘Kill Chain’ Air Combat Tech Fails Real-World Test: Pakistan’s Use Against India Exposes Gaps in Chinese Claims

China’s recent promotion of its ‘kill chain’ air combat system—a networked approach allowing older jets like the J-10C to shoot down stealth fighters—has caught international attention. But while Beijing showcases its technological edge in tightly controlled military exercises, the real-world use of this system by Pakistan against India raises serious doubts about its actual combat effectiveness.

During a televised military exercise featured in CCTV's documentary series Forging Ahead, China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) claimed that a J-10C fighter, guided by a KJ-500A airborne warning and control system (Awacs) and electronic warfare support, was able to shoot down a stealth aircraft using a PL-15 missile. Chinese officials claimed this as a demonstration of how systematic integration—rather than just individual aircraft capability—could allow older jets to defeat more advanced stealth platforms.

China's media and officials have compared this simulation to Pakistan’s claimed use of similar tactics during recent skirmishes with India. Pakistan suggested its J-10Cs, supported by ZDK-03 Awacs and Data Link 17, managed to shoot down multiple Indian fighter jets, including the Rafale, during cross-border tensions.

However, those claims are entirely baseless.

No Proof, Just Propaganda

Till now, Pakistan has failed to provide any visual or technical evidence—not in state media, not on social platforms, and not through independent verification—to support its claim of downing multiple Indian jets. These narratives appear to be aimed at boosting domestic morale rather than grounded in reality.

On the contrary, India has officially acknowledged the loss of only one aircraft, and even that was due to a technical malfunction, not enemy fire. Indian authorities and military analysts have repeatedly debunked Pakistan’s exaggerated claims.

India Shows Real Proof, Pakistan Shows None

While Pakistan continues to rely on unverified claims, India has presented credible evidence of successfully damaging or shooting down multiple Pakistani aircraft. Not only were wreckages documented, but also several unexploded Chinese-made PL-15 missiles were recovered in Indian territory. This strongly suggests that Indian electronic warfare and jamming systems successfully neutralized these missiles mid-flight, highlighting a major weakness in the so-called “kill chain.”

In fact, Indian Air Force (IAF) sources indicate that enemy missiles either failed to lock on or were jammed, falling harmlessly to the ground. This undercuts the narrative that Pakistan’s or China’s systems are fully war-proven.

China's Technology: More Hype Than Reality?

China’s military exercises, while technically impressive, are highly scripted and carefully controlled. Their success is measured under ideal conditions—not the chaos, unpredictability, and countermeasures of a real combat zone.

While Chinese platforms like the PL-15 missile (with an estimated range of 200–300 km) and AESA radar-equipped J-10Cs appear advanced on paper, there’s little actual wartime success to validate their full effectiveness.

The Indian experience, particularly the recovery of PL-15 missiles that failed to detonate, raises serious questions:

• If these weapons are so precise, why were they jammed and neutralized by Indian aircraft?

• If the kill chain is so effective, why hasn’t China—or Pakistan—produced combat evidence?

The reality suggests that China’s campaign to promote these technologies may be more about military image-building and export marketing than actual battlefield performance.

Claims Don’t Equal Capability

The Chinese “kill chain” might represent a step forward in air combat strategy on paper—but real war tells a different story. Pakistan’s unproven use of it against India only highlights the gap between theory and battlefield reality. Without solid combat validation, these claims remain speculative, and their use in media appears more like propaganda than proof.

As of now, the technology may be advanced, but its wartime success is questionable—especially when the few instances it was reportedly used, it failed against India’s robust defense systems.