Islamabad claims that its fighter aircraft shot down at least six Indian planes, including the newly-acquired French-made Rafale fighter jets. "Losses are a part of combat," Air Marshal AK Bharti of the Indian Air Force (IAF) said last week when a reporter asked him about these claims. Beijing also hasn't made any comment on reports of the J-10 taking down Indian fighter jets, including the Rafale. For China, Pakistan is a strategic and economic ally. India, however, said that the pilot had ejected after successfully shooting down Pakistani fighter jets, including a US-made F-16.