IAF shot down 6 Pakistani jets during Op Sindoor, says Air Chief

Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Saturday confirmed that India shot down five Pakistani fighter jets during Operation Sindoor, the military move targeting terror infrastructure, launched to avenge the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Speaking at the Air Chief Marshal LM Katre lecture in Bengaluru, the IAF chief further revealed that some parked US-made F-16 jets were destroyed in the Jacobabad airbase when India targeted Pakistan's military sites on May 10.The pounding of airbases, some of which are yet to become operational, eventually forced Pakistan to dial India for a ceasefire agreement after three days of hostilities. The IAF chief credited the Russian-made S-400 Triumf air defence system for engaging targets far inside enemy airspace, calling it a "game changer". "The S-400 system, which we 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 further said. Singh also shared "before and after" satellite images of the nine terror targets that were battered by the armed forces on May 7. He said the images reveal no collateral damage, rebutting Pakistan's charge of civilian casualties.

Bengaluru, Karnataka: On Operation Sindoor, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh says, "I will show you some pictures of what we achieved, before and after the attack. These are satellite images; the 'after' pictures were taken immediately after the strike, while… pic.twitter.com/NoH6Ao4Kmh

— IANS (@ians_india) August 9, 2025

The "big bird" that was downed was an AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System), the loss of which dealt a massive blow to Pakistan's air strength. The Air Chief also rejected the opposition's charge that there were operational restrictions on the military, asserting that they had full freedom to plan and execute the attacks.

(State Correspondent)