Until now, China had no opportunity to test its platforms in a combat situation," Zhou Bo, a retired senior colonel in the Chinese People's Liberation Army, told the BBC. The Beijing-based analyst said the outcome of the air duel showed "China has some systems that are next to none".

China provided Pakistan with air defense and satellite support during its clash with India this month, according to a research group under India’s Ministry of Defence, suggesting that Beijing was more directly involved in the conflict than was previously disclosed.