Air-to-air missiles have had little chance to shine in the last decade or so. The fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and Libya offered few opportunities for combat aircraft to engage in aerial duels. All of these conflicts saw ample use of air power but no significant aerial combat engagements. The U.S. and allied interventions in Iraq and Syria are following this pattern. The U.S. and allied countries began a new operation in the Middle East as the Islamic State militant group overran large areas of Iraq and Syria. The Islamic State (also known as ISIS) had no air force, despite reports of defecting Syrian pilots flying for the militants. The international intervention force has established air superiority over both Iraq and Syria. The most impactful event was the conflict between India and Pakistan. After an attack on a convoy carrying Indian paramilitary forces in Kashmir, India launched air strikes in February 2020 on Islamic militant camps inside Pakistan. Islamabad responded with its own air strikes on targets inside India. This operation quickly escalated into an aerial duel between Pakistani and Indian fighter aircraft. Pakistan shot down two Indian fighters.
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