(VIDEO) India Refuses to Admit Loss of Five Fighter Aircraft Amid Mounting Wreckage and Global Scrutiny

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – In the face of growing and increasingly irrefutable evidence, India’s political and military establishment continues to publicly deny the loss of five fighter aircraft—including three of its most advanced Dassault Rafale jets—reportedly shot down by the Pakistan Air Force in a series of high-stakes aerial engagements over the subcontinent.

Despite mounting videos, photographic documentation, and eyewitness accounts, New Delhi remains defiant in dismissing claims of these losses, even as visual proof emerges from Bathinda district in Punjab showing wreckage believed to be from a downed Rafale.

New images circulating online show twisted debris from what appears to be an IAF Rafale jet discovered in Aklian village, near Goniana Mandi—just 80 kilometers from the Pakistani border and within range of frontline Indian Air Force bases.

Video footage widely shared on social media platforms clearly displays what seems to be the engine casing and nozzle components of a Rafale fighter, confirming impact and post-crash combustion consistent with a high-speed shootdown.

Definitive visual evidence came when villagers recovered debris carrying the serial number “BS-001,” which is known to correspond with a Rafale aircraft from the IAF’s fleet—specifically the early-delivery batch inducted into No. 17 “Golden Arrows” Squadron at Ambala Air Force Station.

The crash site’s close proximity to a major IAF Rafale base raises further suspicion that the aircraft had either taken off recently or was on a return sortie when it was struck by Pakistani air defences or air-to-air missile systems—potentially the PL-15 or SD-10B carried aboard PAF’s JF-17 Block III or J-10C jets.

Local Indian media, citing eyewitnesses, reported that the fighter jet was observed flying unusually low before it plummeted into a nearby wheat field, with witnesses recalling a thunderous sonic boom seconds before impact.

(video of M88 jet engine believed to be belonged to India Air Force (IAF) Rafale fighter aircraft allegedly shot down by Pakistan)

As curious villagers approached the wreckage, a secondary explosion—likely from residual fuel or ordnance—was triggered, killing one civilian and injuring another, according to reports from Bathinda district officials.

Multiple eyewitness accounts further revealed that the pilot had successfully ejected and was later seen landing via parachute in Ganga village, located roughly 4 to 5 kilometers from the crash zone, prompting rapid-response search operations by Indian security forces.

When asked to comment directly on the allegations of losing five fighter aircrafts including three French-made Rafales, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, a senior officer within the Indian Air Force, offered a cryptic remark: “Losses are part of combat,” refusing to elaborate further on the matter.

For many regional defence analysts, Bharti’s carefully worded statement serves as a tacit admission, reinforcing suspicions that India suffered multiple combat losses in a short span of time—despite no formal confirmation from the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi.

Apart from the Rafale losses, Pakistani authorities also claimed to have shot down a MiG-29 and a Su-30MKI, both of which are key components of India’s multirole and air superiority fleet and were deployed in numbers during Operation Sindoor.

Additional videos and photographs showing wreckage believed to be from a Su-30MKI fighter in the Akhnoor sector, Jammu, have also surfaced online, though Indian officials have remained silent and have not verified these reports.

During the same press briefing, Air Marshal Bharti insisted that all IAF pilots had “returned safely” to their bases, contradicting local eyewitness accounts and social media footage indicating at least one pilot ejecting near Ganga village.

Bharti also stated that Indian aircraft had successfully intercepted and denied Pakistani fighters from entering Indian airspace, adding that “this is why there is no wreckage of Pakistani aircraft on Indian soil.”

“We shot down several Pakistani aircraft,” he asserted, though no physical evidence—wreckage, flight data, or pilot capture—has been presented by the Indian side to substantiate the claim.

The Pakistan Air Force, in contrast, has flatly denied any aircraft losses, stating its fighters returned unscathed from all missions—a claim which, so far, is not contradicted by any verifiable open-source or satellite intelligence.

In a potentially game-changing development, CNN’s chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto posted on his verified account that senior French intelligence sources had confirmed that “at least one Indian Rafale fighter jet was shot down by Pakistan,” marking the first-ever combat loss of the Rafale platform globally.

According to CNN, French officials are currently investigating whether more than one Rafale was lost in the engagement, a possibility that could deeply impact Dassault Aviation’s export credibility and India’s strategic airpower doctrine.

Separately, CNN reported that senior American intelligence officials had assessed that a Pakistani SAM or BVR missile system had successfully neutralized at least one Indian fighter during India’s aerial incursion into Pakistani territory as part of Operation Sindoor.

However, U.S. officials have not disclosed the specific missile system used, though possibilities include the Chinese-origin LY-80/HQ-16 medium-range SAM or advanced PL-15 BVR missiles fired from PAF J-10C aircraft.

India, which signed a €7.8 billion deal with France’s Dassault Aviation in 2016 for 36 Rafale fighters, completed the delivery of the jets by late 2022, deploying them to two frontline squadrons—No. 17 “Golden Arrows” at Ambala and No. 101 “Falcons” at Hasimara, near the Chinese frontier.

The IAF Rafale fleet is equipped with state-of-the-art Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, SCALP cruise missiles for deep strike, and the latest Thales Spectra electronic warfare suite, making it one of the most lethal platforms in the region.

On April 28, 2025, India expanded its Rafale commitment further by signing a $7.4 billion agreement with France to acquire 26 Rafale Marine jets—22 single-seat and 4 twin-seat variants—to be deployed aboard the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

This deal marked the first foreign sale of the Rafale Marine variant and includes comprehensive packages covering weapons, pilot training, and long-term maintenance, with deliveries slated for completion by 2030.

Currently, India’s Rafale fleet is operational from two highly strategic airbases:

1. Ambala Air Force Station (Haryana) – Home to No. 17 “Golden Arrows,” this base is less than 220 km from the Pakistan border and forms India’s western air defence spearhead.

2. Hasimara Air Force Station (West Bengal) – Home to No. 101 “Falcons,” this base provides quick deployment capability against threats emanating from the China-Bhutan frontier.

The alleged shootdown of multiple Indian fighters, including the cutting-edge Rafale, not only challenges India’s aerial dominance narrative but could signal a shift in the South Asian airpower balance, especially if Pakistan has indeed fielded advanced electronic warfare and missile technologies with greater efficacy than previously assessed.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA