Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh confirmed on Saturday that at least five Pakistani fighter jets and an Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) plane were shot down by India during Operation Sindoor. The Pakistan Air Force also lost two stationary aircraft in the Indian offensive, the Air Chief said in Bengaluru at the L. M. Katre Lecture.
#WATCH | Bengaluru, Karnataka | Speaking on Operation Sindoor, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh says, "None of their aircraft could come anywhere near the boundaries of Akash and even MRSAM. All their aircraft were taken on by LRSAM because they were trying to… pic.twitter.com/WBAXFlpsvN
— ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2025
Referring to the AWACS as the "big bird", Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh said the Russian S-400 air defence systems were crucial in bringing down the airborne enemy targets and ensuring India dominated the airspace. The AWACS was about 300km away, and bringing it down was the longest-ever recorded surface-to-air elimination by the IAF in history, he reportedly said.
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It was a major blow to Pakistan's ability to strike back, he said. Amid the India-Pakistan tensions, there were reports on May 9 that Islamabad had lost its AWACS in Pakistani-Punjab.
The presence of S-400 systems ensured that even Pakistan's long-range glide bombs were useless during the conflict. "Our air defence systems have done a wonderful job. The S-400 system, which we had recently bought, has been a game-changer. The range of that system has really kept their aircraft away... even those long-range glide bombs that they have, they have not been able to use any one of those because they have not been able to penetrate the system," the Air Chief Marshal was quoted as saying by news agencies.
#WATCH | Bengaluru, Karnataka | Speaking on Operation Sindoor, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh says, "...In Balakot, we could not get anything from inside, and it became a big issue trying to tell our own people, unfortunately, as to what we have been able to… pic.twitter.com/S7fJeqnBuZ
— ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2025
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He also lauded New Delhi's political leadership for the way the operation was handled. He said that there was no restrictions on the armed forces, who were allowed to operate with liberty."A key reason for success was the presence of political will. There were very clear directions given to us. No restrictions were put on us... If there were any constraints, they were self-made... We decided how much to escalate... We had full freedom to plan and execute," Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.
