New Delhi: Following its biggest military war in decades with its neighbor, India made its first public allegation on Saturday that it shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during fighting in May. Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Pakistan’s defense minister, denied the claim, claiming that no Pakistani aircraft had been struck or destroyed by India.
Indian Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh stated at a function in Bengaluru, southern India, that India’s S-400 surface-to-air missile system, manufactured in Russia, shot down the most of the Pakistani planes. He confirmed the strikes using electronic tracking data.
The large aircraft, which might have been a surveillance plane, was shot down at a distance of 300 kilometers (186 miles), he added. “We have at least five fighters confirmed killed, and one large aircraft,” he said.
He stated, “This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill,” to the cheers of the audience, which included veterans, active air force officers, and representatives from the government and business community.
Singh stated that aircraft also struck “a few F-16” fighters that were stationed in hangars at two air bases in southeastern Pakistan, as well as another observation plane, but he did not specify the kind of fighter jets that were destroyed.
Pakistan’s defense minister accused India of being dishonest in a post on X.
“If the truth is in question, let both sides open their aircraft inventories to independent verification – though we suspect this would lay bare the reality India seeks to obscure,” he stated.
“Such comical narratives, crafted for domestic political expediency, increase the grave risks of strategic miscalculation in a nuclearised environment.”
Islamabad, whose air force flies mostly American F-16s and Chinese-built airplanes, has denied in the past that India shot down any Pakistani planes during the May 7–10 conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
U.S. officials earlier told Reuters that they were unaware that any F-16 aircraft built in the United States had been struck within Pakistan.
A request for comment from the Pentagon on Saturday was not immediately answered.
During the confrontations, Pakistan has claimed to have shot down six Indian aircraft, including a French-built Rafale fighter. India has denied losing six planes, but it has admitted some losses.
General Jerome Bellanger, the head of France’s air force, has previously claimed to have seen proof of the loss of three Indian planes, including a Rafale. Regarding the allegations, the Indian Air Force has remained silent.
