India produces evidence of F-16 use in Pakistani raid
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday presented the wreckage of AM-RAAM missile as a conclusive evidence that Pakistan had used an F-16 fighter aircraft to target military installations in Jammu and Kashmir, and said that one of the F-16 aircraft had been shot down in an aerial engagement on Wednesday morning.
“The wreckage of AM-RAAM missile (AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) was recovered from Rajouri east in Indian territory. Among all the fighter jets that Pakistan has, this missile can be carried only by F-16,” Air Vice Marshal R.G.K. Kapoor said.
“AIM-120C-5, SerNO CC12497” is inscribed on the beyond-visual-range missile wreckage. Its fragments were also used as evidence. Also, photographs obtained from Pakistani media show parts of the F-16 scattered across the border.
“The fact remains that one F-16 of Pakistan was shot down by an IAF MiG 21 Bison aircraft,” Kapoor said, adding that the plane was downed by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.
AIM-120C-5 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) fired by the F-16 has details of its production number and can be tracked by US authorities.
Electronic signatures captured by Indian radars as well as sightings by Indian Army troops on the border who saw two pilots ejecting from the Pakistani fighter inside PoK is also part of the evidence to be presented to the US.
US Congress record further states that following June 2010 l, Pakistan had obtained seven hundred and fifty Mark-84 2000 lb General Purpose bombs, seven hundred BLU–109 2000 lb Penetrator bombs and five hundred Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM).
