MAJOR provocation: 4 Pakistani F-16s and a UAV detected by Indian radars close to border at Punjab on Monday morning

In a major provocation, Indian radars on Monday detected a large Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and four Pakistani F-16 jets flying close to the border at the Khemkaran sector in Punjab.

The Pakistani fighters were detected at 3 am on Monday, at which point the Indian Air Force immediately scrambled Su-30 MKIs and Mirage jets in response.

As per inputs, the Pakistani jets were flying with a surveillance drone in an effort to detect India's troop deployment in the area.

The deployment by India scared off the Pakistani jets as they retreated into their own territory.

The provocation by Pakistan comes just over a month after the PAF's attempt to violate Indian airspace and attack India's military installations a day after the Balakot air strike by the IAF.

The package of Pakistani fighters on February 27 had been far larger than the four that were spotted on Monday morning, numbering over 20. However, as they were detected by radars, Indian jets were similarly deployed and rushed to intercept their adversaries. Despite being outnumbered, the Indian fighters broke the Pakistani formation and scattered their attack, ensuring that they missed their target with their bombs. It was in this dogfight that IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan shot down a Pakistani F-16 despite being in a MIG-21 Bison - a fighter almost 20 years older than the US-made F-16.

READ | How Pakistan Failed To Do A Balakot-type Strike On India On February 27