Pakistan Air Force JF-17 Thunder downs Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman's Mig-21 in an aerial dogfight and captures him after conducting airstrikes in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when required, and a tertiary role of providing strategic airlift capability to Pakistan. As of 2024, per the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the PAF has more than 70,000 active-duty personnel. PAF is the largest Air Force of the Muslim world in terms of aircraft fleet. Its primary mandate and mission is "to provide, in synergy with other inter-services, the most efficient, assured and cost effective aerial defence of Pakistan." Since its establishment in 1947, the PAF has been involved in various combat operations, providing aerial support to the operations and relief efforts of the Pakistani military. Under Article 243, the Constitution of Pakistan appoints the president of Pakistan as the civilian commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), by statute a four-star air officer, is appointed by the president with the consultation and confirmation needed from the prime minister of Pakistan.

The CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder or FC-1 Xiaolong is a fourth-generation, lightweight, single-engine, multirole combat aircraft developed jointly by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC). It was designed and developed as a replacement for the third-generation A-5C, F-7P/PG, Mirage III, and Mirage 5 combat aircraft in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). The JF-17 can be used for multiple roles, including interception, ground attack, anti-ship, and aerial reconnaissance. The Pakistani designation "JF-17" stands for "Joint Fighter-17", with the "Joint Fighter" denoting the joint Pakistani-Chinese development of the aircraft and the "-17" denoting that, in the PAF's vision, it is the successor to the F-16. The Chinese designation "FC-1" stands for "Fighter China-1".

Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman VrC is an Indian Air Force officer and fighter pilot. He flew a MiG-21 Bison during an aerial engagement on 27 February 2019, when his aircraft was shot down by the Pakistan Air Force. He was captured by the Pakistan Army after landing in Pakistani territory, approximately 7 km from the Line of Control. On 1 March 2019, he was released and returned to India.