Bengaluru: In a significant disclosure on the scale of Pakistan’s aerial losses, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh today revealed that five Pakistani fighter jets and another large surveillance aircraft were destroyed during Operation Sindoor. The “big bird,” he indicated, was likely an AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) or an electronic intelligence platform.
Speaking at the Air Marshal Katre Annual Lecture in Bengaluru, the IAF chief credited the Russian-made S-400 air defence system with delivering the decisive aerial kills. “These are the before and after images of the damage we caused at Bahawalpur — the JeM headquarters. There’s hardly any collateral damage. Adjacent buildings remain intact. We had both satellite images and local media visuals giving inside views of the strike site,” he said, pointing to high-resolution photographs.
Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, was India’s targeted military retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives weeks earlier. The IAF struck nine terror facilities, eliminating over 100 terrorists in the precision strikes.
The revelation marks the first official confirmation of the aerial toll on Pakistan’s fleet during the four-day offensive, underscoring India’s growing long-range precision and integrated air defence capabilities.
