Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces, General Anil Chauhan, has acknowledged the losses the Indian Air Force (IAF) suffered during recent clashes with Pakistan between May 6 and 10, though he declined to disclose the number of aircraft downed.

 

Earlier, on May 15, while speaking at the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) Minhas Airbase in Kamra, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif claimed that Pakistan had shot down six Indian aircraft, including three Rafale jets, amid what he described as Indian aggression.

 

“What is important is not the number of jets that were downed, but why they were downed and what we did after that; that’s more important,” General Chauhan said, in an interview with Bloomberg TV at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday.

 

“Understanding the mistakes that led to the losses, correcting them, and ensuring they are not repeated—that is what matters,” he added.

 

Chauhan said that the good part was that the IAF was able to “identify its mistake, rectify it, and implement it again after two days." 

 

"All our jets were flying again and engaging targets at long range,” he added. However, he refused to admit that six of the IAF fighter jets were downed.

 

Chauhan's acknowledgement followed when the interviewee asked, “Pakistan claims that six Indian jets were downed. Is it correct in that estimate?”

 

After being asked about US President Donald Trump’s claim that American diplomacy helped avert a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, General Chauhan declined to comment directly, calling the suggestion “far-fetched.”

 

“I personally feel there is significant space between conventional military operations and the nuclear threshold,” he said. 

 

Chauhan asserted that communication channels with Pakistan were always open to de-escalate tensions, noting that there are “sub-ladders” on the escalation scale that both countries can use to resolve issues without resorting to nuclear options.

 

While an official statement from the Indian government remains pending regarding the losses of aircraft during the 88-hour clash with Pakistan, a senior leader of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Subramanian Swamy, admitted on Friday that Pakistan had shot down five IAF fighter jets.

 

“Pakistan downed five of our planes,” Swamy, however, confirmed during a podcast with YouTube channel Press Talks.

 

When asked if China had played a role in downing the jets, Swamy said that it was indeed the case as the jets used by PAF were “Chinese-made”. He, however, dismissed claims that China was directly involved in a clash with India.