India destroy 10 Pak jets including F-16s, J-17s in Operation Sindoor, says Air Chief Marshal

Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, the Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), delivered a powerful address on Friday, confirming the astonishing success of Operation Sindoor and revealing extensive damage inflicted upon Pakistan's military infrastructure. Addressing a press conference ahead of the IAF’s 93rd anniversary, the Air Chief Marshal confirmed that the Indian Armed Forces shot down a staggering 10 Pakistani fighter jets, including advanced US-made F-16s and Chinese-made JF-17s, during the military operation.

The IAF Chief provided a comprehensive breakdown of the punitive strikes carried out against Pakistan’s airbases. He stated that the IAF successfully targeted and damaged several key Pakistani installations. The strikes destroyed radars at a minimum of four locations and caused damage to command and control centers at two places. Furthermore, runways at two major airbases and three hangars at different stations were successfully hit.

Detailing the losses suffered by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Air Chief Marshal Singh gave specific figures for both aircraft and high-value assets. "As far as Pakistan's losses are concerned...we have struck a large number of their airfields and we struck a large number of installations," he stated. He then added that Indian systems have evidence of a C-130-class transport aircraft and possibly a significant surveillance aircraft being hit during the operation.

Providing a clearer count of the downed fighter jets, the IAF Chief asserted that the strikes destroyed "at least 4 to 5 fighter aircraft, most likely F-16, because that place happened to be F-16 with whatever was under maintenance at that time." He elaborated on the sophisticated nature of the strike, confirming clear evidence of one long-range strike that hit either an AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) or another significant aircraft, alongside five high-tech fighters belonging to the F-16 and JF-17 classes.