India and Pakistan lock horns: Who won and why? https://thecradle.co/articles/india-and-pakistan-lock-horns-who-won-and-why May 12, 2025
In the biggest aerial dogfight since World War II, two nuclear-armed rivals test the boundaries of conflict and deterrence – with some jaw-dropping surprises in the mix.
India and Pakistan both field advanced air forces and hold nuclear weapons, with technological parity in many conventional domains. The result is a high-stakes deadlock, one misstep away from catastrophe...A pattern is clear: These wars start and end on familiar ground, but Pakistan emerges diminished each time. Demographics, military stockpiles, economic capacity, and geography all weigh in India’s favor...India enjoys military superiority in nearly every category – from hardware and troop numbers to domestic defense production. Its population stands at 1.42 billion compared to Pakistan’s 245 million. ..
Islamabad has prioritized air force capabilities, investing in quality aircraft, radar systems, and pilot training.
Although a ceasefire has officially been announced, both accused the other of breaching the truce on Sunday, suggesting that a tit-for-tat cycle may drag on for longer before a decisive inflection point is reached. The road to escalation is fraught, not least because both sides are nuclear-armed. ..Both armies are formidable. India has the upper hand on paper, but Pakistan’s border with China complicates the equation. Beijing has no interest in s..eeing India dominate Kashmir or sever the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which forms a key artery in Beijing's ambitious, multi-continent Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). If India attempts to seize all of Kashmir or block China’s overland access, Chinese intervention is highly likely.
The Cradle's Military Correspondent