New Delhi: In its most detailed disclosure yet on the scale of Pakistan’s losses during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force has confirmed the downing of six Pakistani aircraft five fighter jets and a large airborne platform in the intense aerial campaign launched on May 7 following the Pahalgam terror attack.
The “big bird” eliminated was identified as an AEW&C (airborne early warning and control) aircraft, a critical surveillance asset whose loss severely weakened Pakistan’s air defence network. Alongside these aerial kills, precision strikes by the IAF also inflicted significant damage to Pakistani assets on the ground at multiple airbases.
“At least five fighter jets and one major aircraft likely an ELINT or AEW&C platform were neutralised, with the latter engaged from nearly 300 kilometres away. This marks the largest recorded surface-to-air kill we can officially speak of,” Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh revealed during the 16th Air Chief Marshal L.M. Katre Lecture in Bengaluru.
Praising the Russian-made S-400 system as a “game-changer,” the IAF Chief said Pakistan’s attempts to deploy long-range munitions like glide bombs were thwarted entirely, as their aircraft could not breach India’s integrated air defence network. “Our S-400 batteries kept them at bay and denied them the ability to use key offensive systems,” he said.
The IAF also targeted hangars at Jacobabad and Bholari airbases. At Jacobabad, several U.S.-made F-16s under maintenance were destroyed, while in Bholari, another AEW&C aircraft is believed to have been wiped out. “We have strong indications of one AEW&C in that hangar, along with multiple F-16s under servicing,” the Air Chief noted.
According to Singh, the scale of destruction convinced Pakistan to halt hostilities, fearing even greater losses if the conflict continued. The ceasefire took effect on May 10.
The IAF Chief credited India’s political leadership for enabling decisive action: “The political will was clear and firm. There were no operational restrictions. We had the freedom to decide the level of escalation and to execute our plans in a calibrated, mature manner.”
Sharing “before and after” satellite images, Singh highlighted the precision with which nine terrorist targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir were struck during the operation, eliminating over a hundred militants. He recalled that after the Balakot strikes, skepticism had arisen in some quarters, but in this case, local media reports and photographic evidence left little room for doubt.
Operation Sindoor was launched in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam massacre, in which 26 civilians were killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists. The IAF’s execution, supported by unrestrained political backing, marked one of the most significant aerial campaigns in India’s recent military history.