Chief of Defence Staff, National Security Advisor played a pivotal role
New Delhi: Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Saturday said that ‘Operation Sindoor’ resulted in the confirmed destruction of five Pakistani fighter jets and one large military aircraft, marking a major aerial engagement for India.
Speaking at the 16th Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Memorial Lecture in Bengaluru, the Air Chief Marshal, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said, “After the Pahalgam attack India launched Operation Sindoor, delivering strategic blows to Pakistani radars, command centres, and airbases across multiple locations. The coordinated strikes targeted critical military infrastructure, significantly disrupting Pakistan’s ability to coordinate and respond.”
He said, “This operation was a direct response aimed at weakening terrorist networks and their support systems.”
Singh said that during the Balakot operation, the absence of visible proof had made it difficult to convince even Indian citizens of the impact. “There was intelligence suggesting significant damage and high terrorist casualties at the time, but without physical evidence, the narrative remained uncertain,” the IAF Chief said.
“In Balakot, we could not get anything from inside, and it became a big issue trying to tell our own people what we had achieved,” he said. “This time, we were able to take care of that ghost of Balakot and tell the world what we achieved.”
According to Singh, Operation Sindoor resulted in the confirmed destruction of at least five Pakistani fighter jets and one large aircraft. He said the larger aircraft, destroyed from a distance of about 300 kilometres, was likely an ELINT or Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft. He described it as the longest-range surface-to-air engagement on record.
The IAF Chief also gave details about other military targets that were hit. These included two command and control centres located in Murid and Chaklala, six radars of varying sizes, and two surface-to-air guided weapon systems stationed in Lahore and Okara. In addition, he said three hangars were struck — the Sukkur UAV hangar, the Bholari hangar, and the Jacobabad F-16 hangar.
Singh said intelligence suggested that several F-16 fighter jets undergoing maintenance and at least one AEW&C aircraft were present in the Jacobabad hangar at the time of the strikes.
According to the Air Chief Marshal, the S-400 air defence system, which India had recently procured, proved to be a game changer. “The range of that system kept Pakistan’s aircraft and UAVs away from the Indian defence system. Because of the S-400 system, Pakistan were not able to penetrate the Indian air defence system,” he said.
Singh also said the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) has made a difference in military operations.
“The CDS was always there to get us together and iron things out. Whenever we required it, we used to go to the senior leadership and discuss things,” he added.
The Air Chief Marshal highlighted National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s role in Operation Sindoor, helping bring other agencies and forces together. When the operation began, military chiefs discussed in detail the eventualities, possible outcomes and how India should react, he underlined.
On the takeaways from Operation Sindoor, Singh said, “The biggest takeaway of the operation has been the primacy of air warfare has come to the forefront once again. People have realised that air warfare is the first responder that any country has and air warfare is one which can actually react in a quick time, attack deep inside with precision and just achieve your objective without any collateral.”
Pertinently, ‘Operation Sindoor’ was launched on May 7 following the April 22 in Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 civilians dead. In response, Indian armed forces carried out strikes deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir destroying nine terror camps.
Pakistan retaliated by launching drone attacks and resorting to heavy shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir which led to skirmishes between two nations that continued till May 10.
The ceasefire was announced after the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan reached out to his Indian counterpart and requested an end to the hostilities—(KNO)
