Understood tactical mistakes, rectified them: CDS Chauhan on Op Sindoor

After identifying and correcting tactical mistakes within two days, the Indian Air Force resumed operations and successfully launched long-range strikes, said CDS General Anil Chauhan

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has strongly denied Pakistan’s claims that it shot down six Indian fighter jets during Operation Sindoor. Speaking to Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, he said the information was “absolutely incorrect”.

 

General Chauhan stressed that the key issue was not the number of aircraft lost, but understanding the reasons behind any losses so that tactics could be improved. “I think what is important is not the jet being downed but why they were being downed,” he said. “Numbers are not important,” he added.

Tactical lessons and counter-attack

 

When asked about the loss of Indian jets during the four-day military conflict with Pakistan, General Chauhan said that the Indian Air Force learned from its initial tactical errors.

 

“The good part is that we were able to understand the tactical mistakes which we made; remedied, rectified and then implemented it again after two days. We flew all our jets again targeting at long range,” he said. 

On the repeated claim by Pakistan that it had shot down six Indian jets, including four Rafale fighters, Chauhan responded plainly: “Absolutely incorrect.” 

 

It is important to mention here that earlier, Air Marshall AK Bharti, Director General of Air Operations, had accepted that losses are an expected part of military combat. However, he reassured that all Indian Air Force pilots had returned safely.

 

“Losses are a part of combat,” Bharti said during a press briefing on May 11, when questioned about Indian aircraft losses during Operation Sindoor.

CDS Chauhan on nuclear question: 'Far-fetched'

 

General Chauhan also addressed comments made by US President Donald Trump, who claimed that the US had helped prevent a potential nuclear war between India and Pakistan. Chauhan dismissed this suggestion. 

 

He said it was “far-fetched” to believe that either country was close to using nuclear weapons. “I personally feel that there is a lot of space between conduct of conventional operations and the nuclear threshold,” he said.

 

He added that communication lines with Pakistan “were always open” to keep the situation under control. “There were more sub-ladders which can be exploited for settling out our issues,” he said, suggesting there were other ways to de-escalate tensions without using nuclear force.

Precision strikes and red lines

On a query on the lesson learned from the conflict, Gen Chauhan said India used indigenous systems and platforms from other countries as well during the operation. "We were able to penetrate air defence as long as 300 km with pinpoint accuracy and targets, airfields and infrastructure, deep inside Pakistan. That indicates the functionality of the equipment," he said.

 

He also issued a clear warning about India’s defence posture: “We have laid clear red lines,” he said, making it clear that India’s future actions would depend on Pakistan’s behaviour.