IAF Chief Confirms: 5 Pakistani Fighter Aircraft Downed, One AWACS or ELINT Shoot Down at 300 km Distance

In a major disclosure at the Air Chief Marshal L.M. Katre Memorial Lecture in Bengaluru, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh confirmed that during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force (IAF) shot down six Pakistani aircraft—five fighter jets and one high-value surveillance aircraft, believed to be an AWACS or ELINT platform. This included the longest recorded surface-to-air kill in history, at around 300 km.

Singh also revealed that a grounded Pakistani jet, parked inside a hangar, was destroyed during precision strikes, but it was not counted in the official tally of six kills.

Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians, struck nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Defence sources report that the mission eliminated over 100 militants.

The IAF used before-and-after satellite imagery to show the accuracy of its strikes, including visuals of the Bahawalpur Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters, where Singh noted there was “hardly any collateral damage” despite the scale of the attack.

The Russian-origin S-400 air defence system was credited as a game-changer, allowing the IAF to intercept high-value aerial targets and preventing Pakistan from using long-range glide bombs.

Targets included key military airbases such as Bholari, Rahim Yar Khan, and Jacobabad, where F-16 fighters under maintenance and an AEW&C platform in a hangar were hit. The strikes were supported by BrahMos cruise missiles, loitering munitions, electronic warfare assets, and advanced drones.

The four-day operation involved seamless coordination between the Air Force, Army, and Navy, with no operational restrictions imposed by the government. Singh stressed that the campaign was “not just about retaliation — it was about precision, professionalism, and purpose.”

Operation Sindoor has since been hailed as a defining moment in India’s modern military history, demonstrating technological superiority, integrated force capability, and strategic restraint.