SINGAPORE: In a significant development, India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Anil Chauhan, has publicly acknowledged the loss of Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft during a recent aerial confrontation with Pakistan.
The admission came during an exclusive interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. “We lost some warplanes,” General Chauhan confirmed, becoming the first senior Indian military official to formally recognise these losses. “We made mistakes during the air battle, which we have since identified and corrected,” he added, without specifying the exact number of aircraft downed. This statement lends credibility to Pakistan’s claim that it shot down multiple Indian jets during the confrontation earlier this month. Pakistan maintains it downed six Indian aircraft, a claim that India had firmly denied until now.
While General Chauhan rejected the number as “absolutely incorrect,” he did not offer an alternative figure. Bloomberg noted his repeated use of the term “they” when referring to Pakistan, further fuelling speculation.
General Chauhan shifted attention away from the number of aircraft lost, emphasising instead the importance of understanding why the jets were downed. “What matters is not just that the jets were downed, but why. The operational errors that led to the losses are what we’ve focused on,” he said, adding that the issues were addressed within two days of the incident.
Adding to the controversy, Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has also claimed that Pakistan shot down five Indian fighter jets during the recent escalation. In an interview, Swamy described Pakistan’s response as “vigorous and effective,” and called it a serious failure of India’s defence strategy.
He criticised the performance of the French-made fighter jets used by the IAF, suggesting they underperformed in comparison to Chinese aircraft in similar combat conditions. “This was a major setback. There must be accountability, including from Prime Minister Modi,” Swamy said.
General Chauhan also addressed speculation about U.S. mediation during the conflict. He dismissed the idea that Washington helped prevent a full-scale war or a potential nuclear standoff between India and Pakistan. “That view is far-fetched,” he said. “There’s plenty of room between conventional military operations and the nuclear threshold.”
This marks the first public acknowledgement by Indian military leadership of aerial losses in a direct conflict with Pakistan, indirectly validating Pakistan’s narrative on the international stage and raising serious questions about India’s air combat readiness.
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