IAF vs PAF: War of doctrines

Now that both the IAF and PAF have made their formal claims of having shot down the other's aircraft in the 87-hour, predominantly aerial conflagration in May, we can ask a larger question: Do such numbers really matter?

- SHEKHAR GUPTA

I can begin this with a trick question: If in a war, one side lost 13 aircraft to combat and the other five, who won? All of the active India-Pakistan wars and conflicts have been short, 22 days in 1965 being the longest. Operation Sindoor was just over three days. Whenever a conclusive outcome like a capitulation and mass surrender is missing, there's scope for both sides to claim victory.

There is clarity in some situations, however. We Indians believe we won every war or skirmish, but accept that we lost 1962 to China. Similarly, the Pakistanis concede defeat in 1971. So which Air Force lost how many aircraft to combat in 1971, just in the eastern sector?

The numbers, established, even by rival historians, with tail numbers and pilot names are: India 13, Pakistan 5. These are losses in combat, not to accidents, or the 11 Sabres the PAF pilots abandoned on Day 5 of the war before making a daring escape to Burma in commandeered civilian transport.

Which brings us back to that trick question. At 13 to 5, the IAF lost about three times as many aircraft to combat than the PAF in the east. So, who won that war? Is that even a question? And how did the IAF lose the 13 aircraft? Two were lost in air combat (as 5 of PAF's were) and the rest to small arms fire from the ground.

For the IAF, the war didn't end once the PAF was defeated. It redoubled ground support to the army, to hasten the victory, minimise the army's casualties, whatever the risk. Eleven of the 13 aircraft were lost to ground fire, flying very low. This is the essential difference between the two air forces. One is obsessed with defensive air combat and self-preservation. The other has an all-out aggressive approach as part of the larger national effort. The PAF is numbers obsessed, the IAF is overall outcome-oriented.