India’s Top General Admits Initial Aerial Losses in Brief Conflict With Pakistan.
“What is important is not that a jet went down, but why it went down,” Chauhan told Bloomberg TV in a separate interview.
Finix News Desk | May 31, 2025 :
India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has confirmed that India suffered aerial losses during its recent four-day military confrontation with Pakistan, marking the most serious military escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours since the Kargil War in 1999.
Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday, General Chauhan said, “What was important is, why did these losses occur, and what we will do after that.” While he did not specify the number of aircraft lost, he acknowledged at least one Indian military jet was downed.
A Rapidly Escalating Crisis
The conflict, which erupted on April 22 following a deadly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, left 26 civilians dead—most of them tourists. India blamed the attack on an armed group allegedly supported by Pakistan, an accusation Islamabad vehemently denied.
The skirmishes quickly escalated into missile strikes, drone assaults, and artillery fire exchanged across the heavily militarized border. By the time a ceasefire was reached on May 10, over 70 people had reportedly died. India claimed to have killed more than 100 “terrorists” in precision strikes on targets inside Pakistan, including what it described as “terror camps.” Pakistan countered, saying that at least 30 of those killed were civilians and rejected the terror camp narrative.
On the Indian side, nearly two dozen civilians were reported killed, primarily in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Claims and Counterclaims:
Pakistan claimed during the conflict that it had shot down five Indian aircraft, including at least three French-made Rafale fighter jets. General Chauhan dismissed the claim as “absolutely incorrect,” although he conceded India had lost “at least one” aircraft during initial engagements.
“What is important is not that a jet went down, but why it went down,” Chauhan told Bloomberg TV in a separate interview.
India’s Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, addressing reporters in New Delhi on May 11, said, “All our pilots are back home,” and described the scenario as one involving “combat losses,” which he said were expected in high-intensity operations.
Tactical Shift and Deep Strikes:
Chauhan revealed that India shifted its air tactics following the initial setbacks. “We rectified tactics and then went back on the 7th, 8th, and 10th of May in large numbers to hit airbases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their air defences with impunity, and carried out precision strikes,” he said.
Islamabad acknowledged that several airbases were hit but maintained that damage was minimal and denied losing any aircraft.
A Warning for the Future:
General Chauhan emphasized that while the ceasefire currently holds, the Indian government has adopted a posture of swift and targeted retaliation for any future terror attacks originating from Pakistani territory.
“The government has made it very clear that we will respond precisely and decisively should there be any further terror attacks emanating from Pakistan,” Chauhan said. “That has its own dynamics as far as the armed forces are concerned. It will require us to be prepared 24/7.”
China Stays Out:
Despite Pakistan’s close ties with China, India saw no signs of Chinese military involvement during the conflict. “While this was unfolding from April 22 onwards, we didn’t find any unusual activity in the operational or tactical depth of our northern borders,” Chauhan said.
When asked whether Pakistan may have received satellite imagery or real-time intelligence from China, Chauhan noted such data is commercially accessible and could have been acquired from multiple sources, including China.
Finix News will continue to follow developments in South Asia’s shifting security landscape as both India and Pakistan assess the aftermath of this brief yet intense conflict.
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