Bengaluru: India’s Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, on Saturday, laid to rest all speculation about the number of aircraft lost by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during Operation Sindoor. In a first such disclosure since the four-day military conflict was suspended, the Air Chief said that six PAF aircraft, including five fighter jets were shot down by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Speaking at an event in Bengaluru, ACM Singh also highlighted that one of the kills was the longest-ever recorded surface-to-air ones by the IAF, praising the Russian S-400 air defence system procured by India and used to deadly effect during Operation Sindoor.
“Our air defence systems have done a wonderful job. The S-400 system, which we had 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 they have. They have not been able to use any one of those because they have not been able to penetrate the system,” the CAS said.
Among the aircraft shot down, five were Pakistani fighter jets while the other one was an AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) or an ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) aircraft, the CAS said.
“…We have at least five fighters confirmed kills and one large aircraft, which could be either an ELINT aircraft or an AEW&C 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,” Singh said.
ACM Singh, known to be a straight talker, also appreciated the role played by India’s political leadership. He said that there were no restrictions imposed on the armed forces, who were given the liberty to plan and execute the operation in ways they saw fit.
“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.
He also lauded the efforts of the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) in managing to create seamless coordination between the three wings of the Indian Armed Forces.
“Our attacks were calibrated because we wanted to be mature about it… There was a synchronisation between the three forces… The post of CDS made a real difference. He was there to get us together… The NSA also played a big role in getting all the agencies…,” the CAS also said.