Indian radar catches four Pakistani F-16s flying close to the border in Punjab
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India scrambled Sukhoi 30MKIs and Mirage jets in response after which the Pakistani jets retreated further into their territory.
Four Pakistani F-16s were detected flying close to the Punjab border early Monday morning.
The news agency ANI reported that at 3 am Monday morning, Indian radars detected a large-sized UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) and four F-16s flying close to the Indian border in Punjab's Khemkaran sector.
ANI added that India scrambled Sukhoi 30MKIs and Mirage jets in response after which the Pakistani jets retreated further into their territory.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have been high ever since the Indian Air Force conducted an air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Balakote in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunwa province on February 26.
A day later, on February 27, Indian and Pakistani jets engaged in a dogfight after Pakistan dropped bombs on Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir from its side of the Line of Control. India says the bombs were targeting military installations but that they missed their targets.
Sources: At 3 AM today, Indian radars detected a large sized UAV & package of 4 Pakistani F-16s flying close to Indian border in Khemkaran sector in Punjab. India scrambled Su-30MKIs & Mirage jets in response after which the Pakistani jets retreated further into their territory. pic.twitter.com/ZKTbw8zPZo
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2019
It was the first time in over 40 years the air forces of the two countries had engaged in combat. Both sides lost a plane each — India a MiG-21 and the Pakistanis an F-16.