India’s defense chief, General Anil Chauhan, has reportedly acknowledged that the country lost at least one aircraft during a recent four-day conflict with Pakistan, marking a significant escalation in tensions between the two nations. The standoff, noted as the worst since the Kargil War in 1999, concluded with a ceasefire on May 10 after resulting in over 70 fatalities due to missile, drone, and artillery exchanges.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Chauhan addressed Pakistan’s claims that its Chinese-supplied jets had shot down six Indian aircraft, labeling these assertions as “absolutely incorrect.” Nevertheless, when questioned about India’s own aircraft losses, he did not deny there were casualties, subtly confirming that some jets had been lost without specifying the details. “I think, what is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down,” he stated, emphasizing the significance of the circumstances leading to their loss.
Following the ceasefire on May 11, Indian Air Marshal A.K. Bharti assured the public that “all our pilots are back home,” underscoring the combat nature of the situation, wherein losses are an expected reality. A senior security source has indicated to AFP that three Indian jets had crashed domestically, though specific details regarding the aircraft types or the causes of these incidents remain undisclosed.
Chauhan reflected on the lessons learned from the conflict, indicating a proactive approach for future engagements. “The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which 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 shared. He reiterated that understanding the reasons behind the losses was crucial for the Indian military’s strategy moving forward.
The escalation of hostilities can be traced back to an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, which resulted in the highest civilian casualties in the region in years. India has attributed the attack to Islamist militants supported by Pakistan, a claim that Islamabad has firmly denied. The intricate web of accusations and military actions underscores the fraught relationship between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, raising concerns about stability in South Asia.
