India shot down six Pakistani military aircraft in May fighting, air force chief says

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during clashes in May, India's air force chief said on Saturday, the first such statement by the country months after its worst military conflict in decades with its neighbour.

 

Most of the Pakistani aircraft were downed by India's Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system, Indian Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh said at an event in the southern city of Bengaluru.

 

He cited electronic tracking data as confirmation of the strikes.

Speaking at an event in the southern city of Bengaluru, Indian Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh claimed: “We have at least five fighters confirmed killed, and one large aircraft,” adding that the large aircraft, which could be a surveillance plane, was shot down at a distance of 300 kilometres.

He alleged that most of the Pakistani aircraft were downed by India’s Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system. He cited electronic tracking data as confirmation of the strikes.

VIDEO | “5 Pakistan fighters confirmed killed and one large aircraft, largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill,” says Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Operation Sindoor, while addressing 16th edition of the Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Memorial Lecture, at the HAL Management… pic.twitter.com/A74pYQ7Fsr

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Singh did not mention the type of fighter jets that were downed, but claimed that airstrikes also hit an additional surveillance plane and “a few F16” fighters that were parked in hangars at two air bases in Sindh and Punjab. “This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill,” he insisted.

Responding to the claims in a post on X, the defence minister said: “The belated assertions made by the Indian Air Force chief regarding alleged destruction of Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor are as implausible as they are ill-timed.

“It is also ironic how senior Indian military officers are being used as the faces of monumental failure caused by strategic shortsightedness of Indian politicians. For three months, no such claims were voiced — while Pakistan, in the immediate aftermath, presented detailed technical briefings to the international media, and independent observers recorded widespread acknowledgment of the loss of multiple Indian aircraft, including Rafales, by sources ranging from world leaders, senior Indian politicians to foreign intelligence assessments.”