In a rare public admission, India’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, has confirmed Indian aircraft losses during a recent clash with Pakistan. The revelation came during his exclusive interview with Bloomberg at the Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore.
General Chauhan openly stated that “warplanes were lost” in the aerial confrontation with Pakistan. This is the first time a senior Indian military official has officially accepted such jet losses. He admitted, “We made mistakes during the air battle, which we have since realized and corrected.” However, he did not mention how many jets were brought down.
His comments have given weight to Pakistan’s earlier claim that it had shot down six Indian fighter jets during the skirmish. India had previously dismissed this figure as false. Though General Chauhan still rejected the number as “absolutely incorrect,” he avoided sharing an exact count. Bloomberg highlighted his repeated use of the word “they” when referring to Pakistan, which only deepened the confusion around the aircraft downing.
Instead of focusing on numbers, the General stressed the importance of examining operational flaws. “What is important is not the jet being down, but why they were being down,” he said. He pointed out that India identified the causes of these aerial setbacks and addressed them within 48 hours.
In the same interview, General Chauhan also dismissed the notion that the United States intervened to stop a larger conflict. He described the theory of U.S. mediation as “far-fetched.” Speaking on nuclear tensions, he remarked, “I personally feel there is a lot of space between conduct of conventional operations and the nuclear threshold.”
This admission from General Chauhan marks a significant shift. It indirectly strengthens Pakistan’s version of events and brings global attention to the fighter jet defeat.
Adding to the situation, BJP veteran and former Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy made a striking statement. In a separate interview, he confirmed that five Indian Air Force jets were downed by Pakistan in the recent aerial clash. Swamy described Pakistan’s response as “vigorous and effective,” calling it a “serious failure” of India’s defence leadership.
He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take responsibility. Swamy also criticized the performance of French-made jets used by the Indian Air Force. According to him, the aircraft underperformed. He compared them to Chinese jets, which, in his view, performed better in similar combat situations.
The Indian aircraft losses during this confrontation remain a sensitive topic. But with high-ranking voices like Chauhan and Swamy confirming key details, the story continues to unfold with serious implications for India’s defence credibility.
