India Breaks Silence: Confirms Fighter Jet Losses in High-Stakes Clash with Pakistan

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) –In a rare and highly consequential admission, India has acknowledged for the first time that it suffered fighter aircraft losses during its recent high-intensity conflict with Pakistan, although New Delhi has chosen not to disclose the number of aircraft lost.

Speaking during an exclusive interview with Bloomberg TV at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan confirmed the losses while simultaneously downplaying their numerical significance and emphasizing the need to understand the cause of the losses.

“”What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down. Numbers are not important,” General Chauhan said, subtly redirecting attention from operational damage to lessons learned.

While he dismissed Pakistan’s claim of downing six Indian Air Force (IAF) jets as “completely inaccurate,” he notably declined to offer an alternative figure, leaving a vacuum filled by speculation and foreign intelligence leaks.

Chauhan stated, “”Why they were down, what mistakes were made – that are important. The number is not important,” reinforcing the IAF’s focus on tactical introspection over public accountability.”

He added that India’s air force had swiftly recalibrated after initial setbacks, noting, “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,”

On May 17, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif alleged that his country’s air force had shot down six IAF fighters during what has become the most serious military exchange between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in nearly two decades.

Among the reported losses was a Mirage 2000, which Pakistan claims was downed by PAF fighters during a nocturnal operation over Pampore, east of Srinagar, between May 6 and 7.

Earlier Pakistani statements claimed five additional kills, including three Rafale multirole fighters, one Su-30MKI, and one MiG-29—all supposedly brought down by advanced Chinese-built PL-15E missiles fired from J-10C fighters operated by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

In a particularly pointed statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar declared, “The much-hyped Rafales have failed catastrophically, and Indian Air Force pilots have proven to be unskilled,” escalating the psychological and diplomatic dimensions of the conflict.

According to regional defence sources, the downed aircraft were likely targeted by PAF-operated J-10C or JF-17 Block III fighters, both employing the long-range PL-15 BVR missile developed by China’s Airborne Missile Academy.

The J-10C, developed by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG), represents the cutting edge of China’s fourth-generation-plus fighter design, while the JF-17 “Thunder”—a joint effort between CAIG and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC)—has become Islamabad’s cost-effective backbone for multirole air operations.

Reports suggest some IAF aircraft may have been engaged from standoff distances up to 182 kilometers, taking full advantage of the PL-15’s estimated 200–300 km range and its AESA radar-guided seeker, which provides high kill probability in beyond-visual-range (BVR) scenarios.

Analysts believe that PAF’s J-10C fighters may have executed these engagements while remaining within Pakistani airspace, launching PL-15s at Indian Rafales during the early phase of hostilities, illustrating the new reach of air dominance without territorial infringement.

The initial air clash between the two rival air forces has been described by observers as “the largest dogfight of the 21st century,” involving approximately 125 fighters from both sides and testing the limits of networked warfare, air-to-air missile envelopes, and tactical coordination.

At the heart of Pakistan’s air dominance narrative lies the PL-15, a Mach 4 BVR missile armed with AESA radar, now regarded by multiple analysts as one of the most formidable air-to-air weapons in the world.

Its development, spearheaded by the China Airborne Missile Academy, has allowed the Chinese military—and by extension, its closest partners like Pakistan—to challenge the monopoly once held by Western systems like the AIM-120D AMRAAM and MBDA’s Meteor.

Despite mounting evidence, India’s military establishment remains reticent, continuing to reject Pakistan’s claims of five or six confirmed kills, particularly involving the Rafale—a platform India once hailed as the “game changer” of South Asia’s air balance.

Pressed for clarification on the fate of the Rafale fighters, Indian Air Marshal A.K. Bharti offered only a cryptic reply: “We are in a wartime scenario; losses are part of combat,” a remark seen by many analysts as a tacit confirmation.

Independent confirmations from Western intelligence sources have added substantial weight to Pakistan’s claims.

Senior U.S. officials told Reuters that PAF J-10C fighters were responsible for downing at least two IAF aircraft during the engagements, though the weapon systems used were not disclosed.

CNN’s National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto reported that French intelligence had verified the shootdown of at least one IAF Rafale, with further assessments underway to determine whether more were lost in the engagements.

The French official told CNN that the government is actively probing whether multiple Rafales were downed and is in continuous contact with Indian authorities to understand the scope of the losses.

CNN’s reporting also indicated that American analysts have confirmed at least one IAF aircraft was destroyed by Pakistan during India’s retaliatory air campaign, though Washington has yet to confirm the missile type used in the strike.

In response, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces released a cautious statement acknowledging that it is closely monitoring the situation and is in “close contact” with Indian defence officials to clarify the fate of India’s Rafales.

The spokesperson noted the presence of a “fog of war” and emphasized that ongoing information warfare has complicated efforts to determine the facts on the ground.

“In other words, the only thing we know for certain is that we don’t yet know what actually happened,” the official remarked, while declining to repeat any of the unverified claims.

Nevertheless, the gravity of the situation has not been lost on Paris.

French defence authorities are deeply concerned about the reports of multiple Rafale shootdowns—especially given that the Rafale constitutes the backbone of India’s frontline fighter fleet.

“The matter of the Rafale jets is of utmost importance to us,” the French spokesperson stated.

“We naturally want to clarify exactly what happened, which is why we are staying closely engaged with our Indian partners to get a clearer picture.”

“Of course, the most valuable feedback will come from the Rafale’s performance in high-intensity combat, which, according to some reports, involved hundreds of fighter aircraft. We are monitoring the situation very carefully.”

If confirmed, these incidents would mark the first Rafale shootdowns in combat since the platform’s operational debut over 20 years ago—an unprecedented development for Dassault Aviation and its flagship product.

The strategic and commercial fallout has already begun.

Dassault Aviation’s stock has nosedived by 9.48 percent over the past five trading days, coinciding with the timeline of the India-Pakistan conflict.

In contrast, shares of China’s AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Co. surged by 61.6 percent on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange during the same period, buoyed by the J-10C’s widely publicized success.

The episode has also raised concerns within other regional buyers.

A senior Indonesian official stated that the Rafale’s battlefield performance provides a “valid and data-driven basis” for reassessing the fighter’s operational value ahead of Indonesia’s planned acquisition of the platform next year.

As the geopolitical chessboard shifts in South Asia and beyond, the fog of war may eventually lift—but the strategic aftershocks of this engagement, particularly for the Rafale’s reputation, are likely to endure far longer.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA