India Refutes Pakistan’s Jet Kill Claims, Confirms Own Fighter Losses in Recent Conflict

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi, May 31 — India has officially acknowledged the loss of its fighter jets during the recent military standoff with Pakistan, marking the first public confirmation from the Indian Armed Forces amid mounting speculation. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, speaking to Bloomberg at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, dismissed Pakistan’s claims of downing six Indian jets — including four Rafales — as “absolutely incorrect,” but admitted that some aircraft were lost.

“What is important is not the jet being down, but why they were down,” Chauhan stated. “What mistakes were made — those are important. Numbers are not.” He further emphasized that India had already taken corrective steps, flying successful missions just two days later with improved strategy and long-range targeting.

This admission comes in response to assertions by Pakistan’s government, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, that the Pakistan Air Force shot down six Indian fighter jets during the recent hostilities. However, these claims have not been independently verified, and Indian authorities now categorically reject the Pakistani narrative.

The recent conflict erupted after the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, prompting India to launch Operation Sindoor — a retaliatory campaign targeting terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Over the four-day confrontation, which ended on May 10 with Pakistan seeking a ceasefire, India conducted precision strikes on at least eight Pakistani airbases, air defence units, and radar installations, according to defence sources.

India also reportedly deployed the S-400 air defence system to destroy a Pakistani SAAB-2000 airborne early warning aircraft flying 315 km inside Pakistani airspace. Naval assets, including an Indian armada near the Makran coast, were on standby to strike Karachi Naval Port before the truce.