It’s nearly three weeks since the May 6-7 air battle between India and Pakistan, involving nearly 120 fighter aircraft battling for air superiority, and we still do not know exactly how many aircraft were shot down on both sides.
However, a slew of recent media reports has made it clear that the losses, on both sides, were much worse than previously reported.
After speaking with multiple highly placed sources and former defense officials, the sense that is emerging is that the combined fighter jet losses on both sides could be as high as 8-10 military aircraft.
Multiple Pakistani fighter jets were also lost on the ground on the night of May 10 when India’s precision strikes on nearly half of the Pakistani frontline air bases created havoc, knocking out, as per India’s claims, almost 20 % of Pakistan Air Force infrastructure.
Even more importantly, the losses were spread across the Air Force’s inventory and involved the latest 4th and 4.5th generation fighter jets, airborne early warning aircraft, drones, and medium-lift aircraft.
The losses could involve Russian, French, Swedish, American, and Chinese military aircraft.
However, it must be noted that much of the information is based on unsubstantiated claims and unidentified sources. Both India and Pakistan might be trying to exaggerate the other side’s losses and hide their own, and it will be some time before all facts are in the public domain.
Ferocious Air Battle
What can be safely said is that this was the most intense air battle between India and Pakistan since the 1971 war, and the most intense air battle in the world at least since Operation Mole Cricket 19 (1982) over Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley.
This could also be termed as history’s first air battle, where so many fighter jets were airborne, but there were no dogfights, and all battles were fought in the strictly beyond visual range (BVR) domain.
The sheer number of fighter jets involved, possibly over 120, the latest technology of fighter jets, with 4th and 4.5th generation fighter jets on both sides, the use of state-of-the-art long-range air-to-air missiles, the PL-15 on Pakistani side and Meteor on the Indian side, the use of latest air defense systems, HQ-9 and S-400, the use of electronic warfare, along with the use of integrated ‘kill-chains,’ all this sets apart the May 6-7 air duel between India and Pakistan from all previous air battles.
This was the first time a unique combination of Russian MiG-29s, Su-30s, French Mirage-2000s, and Rafales were up against the latest Chinese fighter jets, such as the JF-17 and J-10C, and possibly American F-16s as well.
This was the first time Chinese fighter jets were in combat against state-of-the-art Western platforms. On the Indian side, although the MiG-29s, Su-30s, and even the Mirage-2000s had seen plenty of action in the Russia-Ukraine war, in many ways, this was the first real combat test of Rafales as well.
While the Rafales have seen action in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, this was the first time they were up against a near-peer platform.
How Many Aircraft Were Lost?
There is no definitive answer at this time. The number of aircraft lost on May 6 and May 10 could be as high as 8-10 military aircraft on both sides.
Pakistan has claimed that it shot down 5 Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, one Su-30 MKI, and one MiG-29, on the night of May 6. However, so far, Pakistan has supplied no credible evidence, and it is unlikely that it can, as all aircraft shot down (if any) crashed on the Indian side.
India has hinted at possible combat losses but has not officially acknowledged any. India’s official position is that Operation Sindoor is still ongoing, and disclosing combat losses while the operation is still underway will give the adversary an advantage.
Off the record, India may have suffered at least 2-3 losses, a senior Indian military journalist told the EurAsian Times, who has good access to “top bosses.” But then again, without the IAF’s confirmation, everything remains speculative and unsubstantiated.
Unlike Pakistan, India appears to be taking time before making any claims. However, nearly two weeks after the ceasefire was announced on May 10, and reviewing all available material, the IAF is increasingly confident that it downed multiple Pakistani jets during Operation Sindoor.
How Many Pakistani Jets Were Lost?
Pakistan’s retired Air Marshal Masood Akhtar agreed on national television that PAF had lost an SAAB-2000 airborne early warning system during India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ on the night of May 9–10 to a BrahMos missile strike.
“They (Indian forces) fired four back-to-back Brahmos surface-to-surface missiles… surface-to-surface or air-to-surface, I am not sure. The (Pakistani) pilots rushed to secure their aircraft, but the missiles kept on coming, and unfortunately, the fourth one hit the hangar at Bholari (airbase), where one of our AWACS was standing. It was damaged and casualties were also reported…” he said in an interview.
It is important to note that although the IAF did not officially make a claim (on AWACS loss and other jets), even the PAF concealed its losses.
A reliable source from the Indian military tells the EurAsian Times that this could just be the tip of the iceberg.
According to military sources and the latest media reports (which appear to emanate from the “same office”), India shot down at least one more SAAB-2000 airborne early warning system.
This particular kill is now termed as ‘historic,’ because according to IAF sources, the plane was shot down as far as 314 kilometres away deep in Pakistan, by an S-400 launched surface-to-air (SAM) missile.
That’s not all! While the EurAsian Times report focused on the Historic S-400 kill deep inside Pakistan, Hindustan Times, another leading Indian media outlet, said that IAF has proof that its missiles downed one C-130 J medium lift aircraft, one JF-17, and two F-16 fighters on the ground and in the air.
The Indian military source told the EurAsian Times that the IAF could release everything at the right time with proof, not just claims.
The Indians are confident that Pakistan lost 5-6 military aircraft, including two AWACS.
Notably, on the night of May 10, India targeted as many as 11 Pakistani frontline air bases. At least two of these air bases had hangars destroyed. The New York Times and the Washington Post had subsequently published satellite images of these air bases.
The Washington Post reported that a large hole nearly 60 feet wide is visible in the roof of a hangar at Bholari. Similarly, at Shahbaz air base, which is used exclusively by the military, satellite imagery showed another large hole in a hangar, over 100 feet wide, and damage to a control tower.
The hangars are primarily designed and used for housing and parking aircraft. It is highly likely that Pakistani aircraft, parked in the hangar, faced the brunt of Indian missiles. The big question is, will Pakistan confirm?
If claims are to be believed, losses on both sides are heavy. India’s potential loss of Rafale jets is a major setback for the IAF, and Pakistan’s loss of its prized AWACS is sure to dent the PAF.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
- THIS IS AN OPINION ARTICLE. VIEWS PERSONAL OF THE AUTHOR.
- He can be reached at ahlawat.sumit85 (at) gmail.com
