This is the first public confirmation of number of Pakistani fighter jets shot down by India during Operation Sindoor in May
For the first time a senior officer of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday publically confirmed the damage to Pakistan Air assets, as many as six Pakistan Air Force aircraft, including five fighter jets and one large aircraft, during Operation Sindoor
Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh stated that the IAF not only destroyed terrorist infrastructure but also achieved an air defense victory by downing five Pakistani fighter jets and one AEW&C aircraft, as also an F-16.
He also countered claims of political constraints on the armed forces during the operation, asserting they had full freedom for planning and execution.
“We have at least five fighters confirmed killed and one large aircraft which could be an ELINT aircraft or an AEW&C aircraft which was taken out from a distance of about 300 km, which is the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about,” IAF Chief Marshal Singh said delivering the keynote address of the 16th Air Chief Marshal L.M. Katre Memorial Lecture in Bengaluru.
“Apart from these (aircraft), there are a large number of UAVs and drones, some of whose missiles had fallen in our territory; we have recovered them. Lot of wreckage has been recovered, which is being studied so we can make out what they did, where they were launched from, what route they followed, what kind of systems they had, what generation they belonged to, what kind of features they had, etc.,” reports quoted him as saying
“Our Air Defence systems have done a wonderful job. The S-400 system, which we had recently bought, has been a game-changer. The range of that system has really kept their aircraft away from their weapons, like those long-range glide bombs that they have; they have not been able to use any one of those because they have not been able to penetrate the system,” he also said.
The BJP criticised Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, demanding an apology from him and the Congress.
