India has claimed that its air force shot down six Pakistani military aircraft during border clashes in May. This is the first official statement from India on the incident, which marked one of the worst military standoffs with Pakistan in recent years.
Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh shared the details during an event in Bengaluru on Saturday. According to him, five Pakistani fighter jets and one surveillance aircraft were destroyed. Most of the aircraft were hit using India‘s Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system.
Electronic tracking data confirmed the hits, said Singh. He described the downing of the surveillance aircraft from a distance of 300 kilometers as the “largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill.”
The announcement received applause from military officers, veterans, and government officials attending the event.
Singh did not specify the types of jets that were destroyed. However, he mentioned that other targets included an additional surveillance plane and several F-16s stationed at two airbases in southeastern Pakistan.
Pakistan has not responded to the statement. Its military has previously denied losing any aircraft in the May 7–10 conflict. In fact, Pakistan had claimed that it shot down six Indian aircraft, including a Rafale jet. India has acknowledged limited damage but strongly denied losing that many aircraft.
France’s Air Chief, General Jerome Bellanger, also weighed in earlier. He said he had seen evidence suggesting India may have lost three aircraft, including a Rafale. The Indian Air Force has not commented on this claim.
Tensions between India and Pakistan continue to simmer, with both nations offering different accounts of the recent military exchange.
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