India shot down 5 Pak fighter jets, 1 military aircraft in May fighting: IAF chief

FIVE Pakistani fighter jets and another large aircraft were downed during Operation Sindoor, Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh revealed on Saturday at the HAL Management Academy Auditorium.

"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 km. This is the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about."

Shahbaz Jacobabad airfield, one of the major airfields that was attacked, he said while giving the details of the operation. An F-16 hangar was hit, with half of its structure destroyed, he said, adding that some aircraft inside were also damaged.

He also shared satellite images from the terror targets that were struck during the May 7 attack.

"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...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."

'No restrictions were put on us'

Appreciating the government, the Air Chief Marshal said, 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. 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... NSA also played a big role in getting all the agencies..."