F-16, JF-17 among 5 Pakistani fighter jets hit in Op Sindoor: IAF chief

IAF Chief AP Singh said 4-5 Pakistani jets, including F-16s and JF-17s, were destroyed during Operation Sindoor; radars, runways, hangars, a SAM system and a C-130 were also hit

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Friday said that four to five Pakistani fighter jets, most likely F-16s, were destroyed on the ground during air strikes carried out as part of Operation Sindoor.

 

Singh said the IAF targeted several Pakistani airbases, hitting radars, command centres, runways, hangars and even a surface-to-air missile system.

 

“As far as Pakistan's losses are concerned... we have struck a large number of their airfields and we struck a large number of installations... Because of these strikes, radars at least four places, command and control centres at two places, runways of course damaged at two places, then three of their hangars in three different stations have been damaged," the IAF chief said. 

  He added, "...We have signs of one C-130 class of aircraft and at least four to five fighter aircraft, most likely F-16, because that place happened to be F-16 with whatever was under maintenance at that time."

 

The IAF chief said that one SAM system was also destroyed. "We have clear evidence of one long-range strike, which I talked about more than 300 km, which happened to be either an AEW & C or a significant aircraft, along with five high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF 17 class, this is what our system tells us,” he said.

Advanced SAMs prevented enemy action

 

Air Chief Marshal Singh highlighted the role of India’s advanced long-range surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) in restricting Pakistan’s movements. “Our long-range SAMs that we had procured recently and operationalised...We could look deep inside their territory. We could make sure that they were not able to operate even within their territory up to a certain distance. It will go down in history that longest kill that we achieved of more than 300 kilometres by that. And it seriously curtailed their activities,” he said.

 

He added that India entered the conflict with a clear goal and concluded it quickly after achieving its objectives. “A clear directive, clear mandate was given to the Indian Armed Forces... It stands as a lesson which will go down in history that this is one war that was started with a very clear objective and it was terminated in a quick time without just prolonging it,” he said. 

 

  He further said India’s approach could offer lessons for ongoing conflicts elsewhere. “We are seeing what is happening in the world, the two wars that are going on, there's no talk about termination. But we could make them reach a stage where they ask for a ceasefire, ask for termination of hostilities," the IAF chief said.

 

"And also, we took a call as a nation to terminate those hostilities because our own objectives are met. I think this is something that the world needs to learn from us."

 

(With agency inputs)