Air Chief Confirms Major Pakistani Losses in Operation Sindoor, Six Aircraft Downed, Key Bases Crippled

In his first public account of Operation Sindoor, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh on Saturday disclosed that the Indian Air Force inflicted major losses on Pakistan’s air combat capability, downing six aircraft, including an airborne early warning platform, using the S-400 Triumf air defence system and crippling critical air bases in precision strikes.

Speaking at the Air Chief Marshal L.M. Katre Memorial Lecture in Bengaluru, Singh said five Pakistani fighter jets of Chinese origin and a large AEW&C/ELINT aircraft were shot down on May 7 at ranges of up to 300 km, one of the longest surface-to-air kills ever recorded. He added that several parked F-16s were also damaged in strikes on the Shahbaz air base at Jacobabad, where “half of a major hangar was destroyed.”

The IAF also targeted Pakistan’s Bholari air base, destroying a Saab AEW&C aircraft, and carried out successful strikes against two command-and-control hubs, Murid and Chaklala, and at least six radar installations.

“One half of the hangar is gone, and I’m sure there were aircraft inside that were damaged. We also struck at least two command-and-control centres, Murid and Chaklala, and destroyed six radars of various sizes,” he said.

“These assessments are based on credible intelligence and post-strike analysis,” the Air Chief said.

According to Singh, the confirmed kills included five fighters of Chinese origin and one large aircraft taken down at long range, marking “the largest-ever recorded surface-to-air kill.” He emphasised that the assessment was based on credible intelligence and post-strike analysis.

Details of the operation, first reported on May 8, had been withheld for three months pending technical evaluation. Sources confirmed the large aircraft destroyed at long range was likely a Saab Erieye AEW&C or a Chinese-made ELINT/EW platform. No F-16s were downed in the air.

The disclosure highlights the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) first combat use of the S-400 system, emphasising its extended-range precision capabilities to neutralise high-value aerial assets deep within enemy territory.

Operation Sindoor, which took place from the night of May 6 to May 10, marked this significant deployment of the S-400 system by the IAF.

 

Team BharatShakti