Escalation Risks Rising? Airpower in Kargil and Pahalgam

In the 1999 Kargil conflict, the Indian Air Force in the end acquitted itself admirably; in the 2025 Pahalgam case, the IAF's performance appeared to be lackluster at best. What explains the markedly different outcomes of the use of airpower? And what strategic lessons did India learn? One to watch is New Delhi likely concluded that, next time, they must escalate to strikes against military targets at the onset of hostilities, running greater Pakistani miscalculation risks.