Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has, for the first time, suggested that India lost fighter jets during its recent four-day military engagement with Pakistan, while underlining that the key takeaway from the conflict lies in the tactical insights gained—not in the tally of aircraft losses.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, General Chauhan dismissed Pakistan’s claim that it had downed six Indian jets, calling it “absolutely incorrect.” However, he declined to disclose specific figures on Indian aircraft lost during the confrontation that began on May 7, marking the most serious escalation between the two nations in over five decades.
“What is important is not the jet being down, but why they were down. What mistakes were made — that is important. Numbers are not,” General Chauhan remarked, signaling a shift in focus toward operational introspection rather than statistics.
According to the CDS, the Indian Air Force swiftly assessed and addressed the tactical shortcomings that led to the setbacks. “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,” he noted.
Rebuttal of Pakistani Claims and Weapon System Performance
General Chauhan also took aim at Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s claims that six Indian jets were shot down during the conflict. In a strong rebuttal, he criticized the performance of Pakistan’s air defense systems, many of which were supplied by China, stating bluntly that they “didn’t work.”
He revealed that India had successfully carried out precision strikes up to 300 kilometers inside Pakistani territory, including strikes on airfields defended by dense anti-aircraft systems.
On Nuclear Threshold and Strategic Restraint
Addressing international concerns about a potential nuclear flashpoint, General Chauhan downplayed the risk of nuclear escalation during the conflict. “I personally feel that there is a lot of space between the conduct of conventional operations and the nuclear threshold,” he stated, adding that communication lines between the two nations remained open throughout the crisis, ensuring a degree of strategic stability.
The CDS concluded by acknowledging that the current ceasefire agreement was holding, but cautioned that its future stability would depend entirely on Pakistan’s actions going forward.
“We have laid clear red lines,” he warned.
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