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Within days of the beginning of hostilities between India and Pakistan, arms suppliers around the world started evaluating the efficacy of alternative weapons platforms.

First off the ground was an Anglo-American news agency, Reuters, that reported the downing of the French fighter jet Rafale which is now part of the arsenal of the Indian Air Force. The shares of Dassault Aviation, the producer of Rafale fighter jets plummeted 3.3 percentage points, with the share value going down from $373.8 to $362.05. At the same time the shares of the Chinese company Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, producer of the J-10C and J-17 fighter jets that the Pakistan Air Force deployed went up, recording a 30% rise. The China-made jets allegedly downed the France-made one.

Not to be left behind in this game of arms bazaar salesmanship, friends of Russia let it be known that India’s success in warding off air attacks from Pakistan was on account of the efficient and successful deployment of Russia’s S-400 missiles. The very missiles that the United States had threatened to sanction and warned India against buying. The Pakistanis also demonstrated the efficacy of China’s PL-15 missiles deployed against Indian aircraft.

Even as hostilities proceeded apace, media reported arrival of Israeli weapons in India and of

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