We didn't lose any Su-30 jet; Pakistan's claims false: Defence Ministry

NEW DELHI: India did not lose any Su-30 fighter jet during a dogfight with Pakistani jets on February 27, the government said here on Tuesday and added Pakistan was making "false claims" to hide the loss of a F-16 aircraft.

"All the Su-30 aircraft engaged in combat with Pakistani fighter jets landed back safely. Pakistan is making false claims of shooting down a Su-30. It appears to be a cover up for the loss of its own (F-16) aircraft," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

READ | IAF jet shoots down Pakistani drone near India-Pakistan border

Giving details of the operation, the ministry said on February 27 morning, the Indian air defence system was on full alert and noticed "in time" a build-up of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft on their side of the Line of Control (LoC).

"Additional aircraft were scrambled to tackle the adversary. In their attempt to attack our ground targets, PAF aircraft were engaged effectively. From the IAF side, Mirage-2000, Su-30 and MiG-21 Bison aircraft were involved in the engagement. 

"The PAF aircraft were forced to withdraw in a hurry, which is also evident from the large missed distances of the weapons dropped by them. During the combat, use of F-16 by PAF and multiple launches of AMRAAM were conclusively observed. Prompt and correct tactical action by Su-30 aircraft, in response to AMRAAM launch, defeated the missile," the statement said. 

Parts of the AMRAAM missile fell in an area, east of Rajouri in J&K, injuring a civilian on the ground, it added. 

The IAF said it shot down an F-16 aircraft of Pakistan in the combat, the debris of which fell in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan has denied that it used F-16 in the operation.

The PAF made a shallow incursion into the Indian territory and dropped a few bombs on February 27, a day after the IAF bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp at Balakot in the Kyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan, some 80 km from the LoC.