‘We Knew The Mistake And Fixed It Fast’: India’s Defence Chief Breaks Silence On Op Sindoor Jet Loss Rumours
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‘We Knew The Mistake And Fixed It Fast’: India’s Defence Chief Breaks Silence On Op Sindoor Jet Loss Rumours
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan gave rare insight into the operation. He rubbished claims made by Pakistan about downing Indian jets as ‘absolutely incorrect’ Chauhan also revealed just how deep India struck inside Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. “We were able to do precision strikes on heavily air-defended airfields of Pakistan deep 300 kilometers inside, with the precision of a meter,” he said. He also assured that communication channels with Pakistan remained open throughout the conflict to prevent escalation. The first time India’s top defence official has openly acknowledged any kind of tactical flaw in the mission.
At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, General Chauhan rubbished claims made by Pakistan about downing Indian jets as “absolutely incorrect”. But he did not stop there. What he said next gave rare insight into the operation’s inner workings.
“What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down and what mistakes were made, that are important,” Chauhan told Bloomberg TV on Saturday.
And that honesty continued.
“Numbers are not important. The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake that we made, remedy it, rectify it and then implement it again after two days and flew all our jets again, targeting at long range,” he said.
This is the first time India’s top defence official has openly acknowledged any kind of tactical flaw in the mission, but it came with the confidence of a force that bounced back immediately.
Earlier this week, Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif claimed that his country’s air force had downed six Indian jets, including four Rafale fighters. The Indian Air Force has strongly denied and called it misinformation.
Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, speaking on May 11 during a joint press briefing of the armed forces, also weighed in. “Losses are a part of combat,” he admitted, but stressed that “all IAF pilots returned home safely”.
India also asserted that it had successfully shot down several PAF aircraft, including an F-16 and two JF-17s – a claim Pakistan has not confirmed.
Was a Nuclear Standoff Closer Than We Think?
US President Donald Trump recently suggested that Washington stepped in to stop the crisis from spiraling into a nuclear confrontation. Chauhan dismissed this theory outright.
“I personally feel that there is a lot of space between conduct of conventional operations and the nuclear threshold,” he stated.
He also assured that communication channels with Pakistan remained open throughout the conflict to prevent escalation.
“There were more sub-ladders, which can be exploited for settling out our issues,” he said, implying that India has more strategic options before even approaching the nuclear line.
General Chauhan also revealed just how deep India struck inside Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. “We were able to do precision strikes on heavily air-defended airfields of Pakistan deep 300 kilometers inside, with the precision of a meter,” he said, wrapping his comments with a warning and a message of strength.
Hinting that any future response will be dictated by Pakistan’s next move, Chauhan said, “We have laid clear red lines.”