More than 100 fighter jets from India and Pakistan were involved in a major aerial engagement that occurred on May 6 and 7, Pakistani officials have confirmed, making it one of the largest and longest dogfights in recent global aviation history.

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) confirmed the scale of the incident during a press briefing in Islamabad on Friday, stating that over 100 jets were mobilised by both sides in a fierce engagement that lasted more than an hour.

A senior security source told US broadcaster CNN that 125 fighter jets participated in the air battle, with missile exchanges occurring at distances of up to 160 kilometres (100 miles).

According to the highly placed Pakistani source, neither side crossed into the other’s airspace.

The latest confrontation follows heightened tensions in the region, particularly after an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Experts note the air engagement did not escalate into a full-scale cross-border clash, with both sides reportedly remaining within their respective airspaces to avoid the political fallout seen during a similar episode in 2019, when an Indian pilot was shot down, captured, and paraded on Pakistani television.

According to sources quoted by CNN, one of the five Indian aircraft reportedly downed was directly struck by a Pakistan ground-based air defence system.

Islamabad has also revealed that it had deployed the Chinese-made PL-15 air-to-air missile during the intense skirmish. The Indian Air Force has not yet issued an official response confirming or disputing their losses.

PAF also released audio recordings, purportedly from downed Indian Rafale jets during the aerial clash.

In the intercepted audio, a voice identified by Pakistani officials as an Indian Wing Commander can be heard coordinating operations mid-flight while repeatedly checking on the status of his formation members, suggesting a scenario of high tension and damage control during the dogfight.

Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed, who played that audio recording in a press briefing, said: "I have an audio from Rafale formation that I will share. The call sign is Godzilla…. Those animals are extinct, so this one [jet] also got extinct."

"We had a plan. India had said they would have Rafales, and that's why this time we targeted their centre of gravity in the shape of Rafales. This is why you see such good numbers [of planes downed]."

"We could have more numbers, but we showed restraint," Ahmed said.

"But I must say," Ahmed told media, "that it is not the equipment that matters all the time it is the training, it is the leadership that gives you the direction."

India has yet to respond to Pakistan's claims.

Major event in modern aerial warfare

CNN, which reported the nerve-racking engagement earlier this week, citing top defence sources, noted that the high-stakes encounter was already being described by officials as a major event in modern aerial warfare.

The pilots had to make multiple runs at their intended targets during the engagement. In anticipation of potential strikes, Pakistan, according to the account, issued warnings in areas it believed could be targeted to minimise civilian casualties. 

Newsweek reported that if the aircraft numbers cited are accurate, this would make the confrontation one of the largest air battles since World War II.

While the history of large-scale air battles includes events such as the Battle of Britain and the Battle of Kursk, both fought during World War II with hundreds or even thousands of aircraft, modern air engagements of such scale are exceedingly rare — especially between two nuclear-powered countries, officially not at war.

The recent exchange highlights the continued volatility in India-Pakistan relations. Despite numerous calls from the international community for restraint, both sides maintain large, modernised air forces and a history of conflict centred around the disputed region of Kashmir.

The sheer scale of Wednesday's dogfight underscores how rapidly incidents around the picturesque Kashmir valley can escalate, even when confined to national airspace.

While the aerial engagement ended without reported casualties on the ground, the precedent it sets — and the military posture it reveals — suggests a highly combustible situation moving forward.

Noting the gravity of the situation, the White House said on Friday that the US is in "constant communication" with the leaders of India and Pakistan as President Donald Trump seeks a rapid de-escalation between the nuclear powers.

"The President has expressed he wants to see this (India-Pakistan skirmishes) de-escalate as quickly as possible," White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.