Confirming this Defence Minister George Fernandes said that though F-16s and other aircraft were used during these intrusions, the most probable motive in all these missions was to reconnoiter the Rann of Kutch area.

``On each of these occasions, the Pakistani aircraft retreated as soon as they realised that our fighters were scrambling,'' the Defence Minister said. ``But today they fell into our net and the aircraft was shot down.'' Incidentally, all the intrusions this year before today took place around the same time that the Kargil conflict was raging.

According to senior Air Force officials, the aircraft that intruded more than 10 km into Indian territory today, was a French-made Breguet (Dassault) Atlantique owned by the Pakistan Navy. This was an anti-submarine-cum-anti-ship warfare and maritimereconnaissance aircraft.This was also one of the four aircraft of the same make with the reconnaissance squadron of the Pakistan Navy. And these had been purchased from France a few years ago. France has three various versions of the aircraft - Atlantique 1, Atlantique NG and Atlantique G2 and it is not exactly known, which of these were given to Pakistan. The twin-engine turboprop aircraft, according to officials, has a sizable seating capacity, with a normal crew of 12 persons, including two pilots.

The Atlantique can fly non-stop for 18 hours at a maximum speed of 658 km/hr and go up to a maximum height of over 32,000 feet, which is, however, much lesser than the capability of reconnaissance aircraft like the Indian Air Force's MiG-25 it can fly up to 80,000 feet.

``But more than its ability to reconnoiter for a long time and up to a long distance, it is the firepower in the Atlantique's arsenal that is worrying,'' pointed out Navy Commander (retd) Ravi Kaul, who had commanded a destroyer in the Rannof Kutch of area.

The aircraft has a huge weapon bay, mostly under its wings, and the most potent weapon it can carry are 2 Exocet AM 39 missiles these missiles can sink a ship from a distance of 100 km. Other important weapons it can carry are nine MK 44 torpedoes, 4 air-to-surface missiles, 12 depth charges and 15 bombs, each 250 mm in diameter.

Besides, the Atlantique also carries Sonobuoys and flares to mark submarine positions before firing its torpedoes or missiles.