Downed 6 Pak military planes, says IAF chief

At least five Pakistani combat jets and a large surveillance aircraft were shot down by Indian air defence weapons, primarily the S-400 system, during the four days of hostilities between the two countries in May, Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, said on Saturday, the first official acknowledgement of such successes by the Indian side.

- Rezaul H Laskar

Singh, who was delivering a public lecture in Bengaluru, said attacks by the Indian military also destroyed or damaged at least two Pakistani command and control centres, at least six big and small radars, two surface-to-air guided weapons (SAGW) systems, and the runways and hangars at the airbases in Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Bholari and Jacobabad. HT reported on May 24 that IAF fighters launched precision strikes using SCALP and Brahmos missiles to inflict damage at key Pakistani airbases.

This is the first time that a senior Indian official has publicly revealed the aircraft losses suffered by Pakistan during the hostilities that erupted after India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 to target terrorist infrastructure across the border in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians on April 22.

Singh, who made a presentation on attacks carried out by the IAF during Operation Sindoor using satellite imagery and videos from Indian weapon systems, said, "[With] the SAGW systems ~ mostly [the] S-400 - we have at least five fighters confirmed killed and one large aircraft, which could be either an elint [electronic intelligence] aircraft or an AEW&C [airborne early warning and control] aircraft."

The surveillance aircraft, he said, was taken out at a distance of almost 300 km, making it the longest ever “recorded surface-to-air kill”. He described the S-400 air defence system, acquired from Russia, as “a game-changer” whose range deterred Pakistan's combat aircraft.

"The range of that system kept Pakistan's aircraft and UAVs away from the Indian defence system. Because of the S-400 system, Pakistan was not able to penetrate the Indian air defence system," Singh said.