This statement can be flipped around and claimed the AIM-120c5 failed since during Balakot PAF didn’t launch any missiles despite Pakistanis claiming they launched aircraft to confront and repel the IAF that day. You are also forgetting or not understand the vast importance PAF AWACS had that day.
The PAF entire plan that day was to try to bait one of the IAF jets into an ambush which I will explain later. The reasons the IAF didn’t launch any missile is simple numerical superiority, kinetic advantage and altitude the PAF had that day. The lone SU-30MKI (Avenger1) was wise enough not to engage any F-16’s because he would have been ambushed by other pairs of F-16s possibly flying too low to be detected. The outcome probably would have been the same even with it was a Rafale that day but as we know it was essentially one SU-30MKI (Avenger1) against 8 F-16’s plus 4 JF-17s just north of Khuiratta, another SU-30 (Avenger2) had to land due to low fuel. The Pakistanis probably waited for Avenger2 to run low on fuel then they launched 24 aircraft.
To break it down, the PAF aircraft that day were operating at higher altitudes and flying at higher airspeeds, thus their missiles had more range. PAF had 4 F-16s at 40,000 feet around Mirpur, these were probably the F-16’s that launched AIM-120s. Then the PAF had 4 more F-16s west of Bhimbar operating as low as 10,000 feet, these were the ones that launched the failed attack on army HQ. Then PAF had 4 JF-17s at 30,000 feet north of Khuiratta. The situation was unfavorable for Avenger1 no matter what he would have done, no matter what what course of action Avenger1 would have taken it would have been bait which would have resulted in an ambush. If Avenger1 decided to go after the F-16s at 40,000 feet, then the F-16 at 10,000 feet or lower could have surprised Avenger1 by flying low, fast and undetected due to terrain, then they could have went vertical and launched missiles at Avenger1 while he was busy engaging the F-16s at 40,000 feet. If Avenger1 decided to attack the low flying F-16s then the F-16s at 40,000 feet would come in fast, high and hot, laughing AIM-120s. JF-17s could have also quickly joined to fight if needed but they were primarily probably decoys meant to divert any additional IAF aircraft away from Avenger1 so as to keep the fight in favor of the PAF. The IAF Mig-21 that was downed somewhat fell for the trap, although it did manage to pull off the element of surprise until the last minute due to a deliberate low altitude, high speed dash towards PAF F-16. Unfortunately the Mig-21 also lacked altitude to exploit the R-77s full range, it’s smaller, older radar and the unsecure communications the IAF was using just exasperated the situation.
If the roles were reversed and it there were several IAF Falcon AWACS supporting 8 SU-30MKIs, one pair at high altitude and the other at low altitude while another 4 Tejas were not far away do you really think a single F-16 would ever dare to challenge 12 Indian jets? If that were the case and the ROE were cleared for the IAF to openly engage PAF jets then we would be hearing how the F-16s and the AIM-120c5 was a failure.
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