Islamabad: Just after midnight on May 7, a low voltage buzz filled the Combat Operations Center at the headquarters of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in Islamabad.
On the radar screens, dozens of combatants of the Indian Air Force (IAF) began to group north, maneuvering with an unmistakable intention.
In a matter of minutes, Pakistan’s heavens were alive with scrambled combat jets, including the most recently induced J-10C plane, flown by one of its most famous units: Squadron No. 15, the “Cobras”.
Almost a month later, the PAF formally recognized what many had speculated: that it was Squadron 15 based in Kamra that led the burden of demolishing six planes of the Indian Air Force (IAF) during what is now considered one of the largest Air-Aire commitment in southern Asia in more than half a century.
Kamra Squadron 15 pilots expect to be decorated in a formal ceremony at the end of this month
Eighteen of the 20 J-10C aircraft of the squad participated in the mission, executing a high-risk intersection against a large-scale Indian formation as part of Pakistan’s defensive response.
In a post release by the paf’s average director, The Cobras Were Hailed for Their Legacy and Professionalism: “From heroic air battle in the 1965 War, where flt lt imtiaz bhatti download two indian vampires, to Cold War -ra Vigilance During the Soviet-Afghan War, The Squadron Has Always Remained Combat-Ready … Now Equipped with J-10C 4.5+ Generation Fighters, The Cobras Continue to embody precision, courage and aerial domain. “
The confrontation of May 7, triggered by the launch of the Sndoor operation of India after a deadly attack in Pahalgam, saw that more than 120 airplanes took the skies from both sides.
According to the official Pakistani army account, the six Indian aircraft demolished included three raffles, a MiG-29, a Mirage-200000 and a SU-30MKI, all affected by PL-15 BVR missiles fired by the PAF J-10C fighters. Each launch was executed by pilots of the 15 squad, which is expected to receive publicly names and decorated in a formal ceremony at the end of this month.
A senior PAF official, who speaks under condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed: “The pilots involved in the operation will be honored soon. These are some of the best aviators in our ranks, and their performance speaks for itself.”
The commitment, experts say, was the result of a calculated strategy of bait and accountant. With credible intelligence of an imminent Indian incursion, the PAF deployed four formations to contract defensive advances and monitored more than 60 Indian aircraft using its management systems of the electromagnetic spectrum.
“We fight the battle in our terms,” added the official. “Our chain of murders was completely active. When the command changed, while the airplanes were in the air, from ‘determined to kill, deny their own loss’, the cobras carried out their mission with precision and control.”
Among the prioritized objectives were the raffles, the pride of the IAF since its induction in 2019. “The Indians expected the raphales to be the Chan-Gers game,” said the official. “So we made our first goal.”
The Indian answer was initially evasive. On May 11, the General Director of Air Operations of the IAF, the Ak Bharti Air Marshal, minimized the situation, simply stating that “the losses are part of the fight” and insisting that all the pilots had returned safely.
But the facade broke during the Shangri-la dialogue in Singapore on May 31, when the head of defense of India, General Anil Chauhan, was forced to admit losses, attributing them to “tactical errors.”
The admission caused a storm of criticism at home. In an attempt to contain the consequences, General Chauhan resorted to the metaphors of disconcerting Cricket to explain shame.
Cobras History
Squadron No. 15 is no stranger to high -risk operations. Established in 1956, the unit affirmed the first confirmed air death of Pakistan in 1959. He played a fundamental role in the 1965 and 1971 wars and then assumed patrol tasks and interdiction throughout the Durand line during the Soviet-Fgano conflict.
Before the last air participation, the squad participated in the replica of the 2019 Swift operation: Pakistan’s measurement to India Balakot’s air attack. In that mission, two VPA Mirage-VPA of the Cobras made precision attacks using H-4 pigs pumps in open terrain adjacent to the base of the Narian army in the Rajauri sector of Kashmira occupied by India.
After that mission, the cobras underwent a significant transformation. In 2022, they became the first PAF squad to make the transition of a Mirage plane aged to the most advanced Chengdu J-10C multirromes. The oldest mirrors were reallocated to the newly established Squadron No. 50, while the elevation of cobras to the J-10C operators marked their formal recognition as the air attack unit of the Pakistan front line.
The induction of J -10C, equipped with AESA radar, advanced data links and BVR capacities, drastically expanded the operational envelope of the squad, which allows it to perform the roles of aerial superiority and precision strike in a wide spectrum of missions.
In addition to the prestige of the unit, there is the fact that the current Chief of Air Mariscal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu is a former commander of Squadron No. 15. On the night of May 7, it was Sidhu himself who directed combat operations from the Nervous Center of the PAF in Islamabad, personally monitoring each movement.
“The cobras are our most acute fang,” said an official. “They have defended this nation in each war. On May 7 it was no exception, only this time, the bets were even higher.”
Back at its base in Kamra, mood is of tempered pride for professionalism. The official PAF statement ended with a sober statement: “Throughout its distinguished history, Squadron No. 15 has demonstrated an unwavering operational resilience and tactical excellence.”
Posted in Dawn, June 6, 2025
