NEW YORK, May 31 (APP): India has confirmed for the first time that it lost fighter jets during its recent conflict with Pakistan, but still refused to acknowledge the number or nature of aircraft it lost.
“What is important is that… not the jet being downed, but why they were being downed,” General Anil Chauhan, India’s chief of defence staff, told Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
The comments are the most direct yet from an Indian government or military official on the fate of the country’s fighter jets during the conflict with Pakistan that erupted on May 7 when India launched missile attacks on civilians targets inside the Pakistani territory.
Pakistan took down six Indian jets, including three advanced French Rafale planes.
Three Rafales, one Su-30MKI, one Mirage 2000 and one MiG-29 were downed within a short span. Not one Pakistani jet crossed the border or engaged in close combat.
Responding to a pointed question, General Chauhan, the Indian chief of defence staff, admitted India suffered losses in the air, but declined to give details.
“What is important is that… not the jet being downed, but Why they were down, what mistakes were made – that are important,” the general said when asked about the fighter jets. “Numbers are not important,” he added.
“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,” General Chauhan said.
The intense four-day period of fighting came to a halt with a US-mediated ceasefire announced by both governments following talks between their national security advisers.
APP/ift