The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday confirmed for the first time that six aircraft were shot down during India’s Operation Sindoor.
Speaking at a lecture in Bengaluru, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said the IAF had taken down five fighter jets and one large aircraft in what he described as “the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill.”
“We have at least five fighters confirmed kills and one large aircraft, which could be either an ELINT aircraft or an AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) aircraft, which was taken on at a distance of about 300 kilometres. This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about,” the Chief of Air Staff said.
Singh said an F-16 hangar at Shahbaz Jacobabad airfield — one of the key targets — was partly destroyed, likely damaging aircraft inside.
“Shahbaz Jacobabad airfield, one of the major airfields that was attacked. Here there's an F-16 hangar. One half of the hangar is gone. And I'm sure there were some aircraft inside which have got damaged there,” he said.
“We were able to get at least two command and control centres, like Murid and Chaklala. At least six radars, some of them big, some of them small...We have an indication of at least one AEW&C in that AEW&C hangar and a few F-16s, which were under maintenance there,” he added.
The IAF launched Operation Sindoor in early May as a decisive response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 23 — in which 26 tourists were killed by armed terrorists.
Singh described the operation’s name as symbolic of both the grief of those who lost loved ones in Pahalgam and India’s resolve to draw a firm red line against such cross-border terrorism.
Singh shared a personal reflection on attacking the Sargodha airfield, a significant target housing F-16s under maintenance. “We have grown up in our Air Force dreaming about days like this. Someday we will get a chance. Just so happens that I got a chance before my retirement,” he said.
He also highlighted the pivotal role of the newly created Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in synchronising the operations of the three services and providing crucial leadership.
“The CDS was always there to get us together and iron things out. Whenever we required it, we used to go to the senior leadership and discuss things,” Singh noted.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was also credited for helping unite various agencies and forces during the operation.
On what led to the ceasefire, the IAF chief said the intensity of the 80- to 90-hour conflict forced the adversary to seek talks. “It was a high-tech war. In 80 to 90 hours of war, we were able to achieve so much damage that it was clear to them that if they continue, they are going to pay for it more and more. So they came forward and sent a message to our DGMO that they wanted to talk. This was accepted on our side,” he said.
The IAF chief’s remarks directly contradict US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Notably, New Delhi has reiterated that hostilities ended after direct talks between the countries’ Directors General of Military Operations, rejecting any role for US mediation.
Meanwhile, Singh also credited “political will” and operational freedom for the IAF’s success during the operation.
“A key reason for success was the presence of political will. There were very clear directions given to us. No restrictions were put on us... If there were any constraints, they were self-made... We decided how much to escalate... We had full freedom to plan and execute,” Singh said.
“Our attacks were calibrated because we wanted to be mature about it... There was a synchronisation between the three forces... The CDS made a real difference. He was there to get us together... The NSA also played a big role in getting all the agencies,” he added.
Displaying before-and-after images of a strike on the Muridke Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters, the IAF chief said the site housed senior leadership and meeting spaces.
“This is their senior leadership's residential area. These were their office building where they would get together to conduct meetings. We could get video from the weapons themselves as the location was within range,” Singh said.
He added that strikes on the Bahawalpur Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters caused minimal collateral damage, citing satellite and local media imagery.
“These are the before and after images of the damage we caused (at Bahawalpur - JeM HQ)... There's hardly any collateral here... The adjacent buildings are fairly intact... Not only did we have satellite pictures, but also from local media, through which we could get inside pictures,” he said.
Singh also hailed the S-400 air defence system as a “game-changer” in deterring enemy aircraft during the operation. “Our air defence systems have done a wonderful job. The S-400 system, which we had recently bought, has been a game-changer,” he said.
“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,” Singh added.
