A Pakistan Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft was destroyed by an Indian surface-to-air missile defence system on Thursday night, sources told NDTV.
The aircraft, which had taken off from the Sargodha air base in Pakistan, a key military base for the Pakistan Air Force, was destroyed by an Indian SAM (Surface-to-Air Missile) system near the same base, sources confirmed.
Sargodha, which is in the Punjab province of Pakistan, is among the nation's most strategically located and best-defended air bases.
This incident was a huge escalation of the India-Pakistan conflict, one which has not occurred since the 1971 war. After this, a number of areas in Rajasthan, near the international border, have been put under blackout orders.
The shooting down of the fighter plane comes against the backdrop of increased tensions, as Pakistan's efforts to attack Jammu with missiles and drones in the morning. Regions such as RS Pura, Arnia, Samba, and Hiranagar in Jammu are witnessing intense artillery fire from the other side of the border.
Besides, Pathankot, an important military base in Punjab that is only 30 kilometers away from the international border, has also come under intense artillery shelling from Pakistan. Pathankot is a strategic region of great importance to India as it is a strategic gateway to Jammu.
India has been able to shoot down a number of Pakistani drones, putting its air defense systems on high alert along the border as a countermeasure.
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