New Delhi, MAY 11: Following significant losses inflicted by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during the recent four-day clashes, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday stated that “losses are a part of combat,” without providing further details.”
When asked about the downing of fighter jets by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) at a press briefing on Sunday, Indian Air Marshal AK Bharti dodged the question.
“[I] would not like to comment as we are still in air combat situation. It will be advantage for adversary. We have achieved our objectives. All our pilots are back home,” he claimed as reported by NDTV.
In response to unprovoked Indian missile strikes on multiple cities in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) — which resulted in over 30 civilian deaths — Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed earlier this week that the Pakistan’s armed forces shot down five Indian Air Force (IAF) jets and at least 77 Israeli-made Harop drones.
The military’s spokesperson said that among the destroyed IAF fighter jets were three French-made Rafales, one Su30MKI and one MIG-29 Fulcrum.
Also on Wednesday, four government sources in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) told Reuters that three fighter jets crashed in the federal territory, hours after India said it struck nine Pakistani sites across the border.
British security and defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke remarked on Saturday that Pakistan may had caught India off guard with the strength of its military hardware and technical capabilities, The News reported, citing Sky News.
In an interview with British news outlet, Clarke stated that India would likely view Pakistan’s display of strength as a sign of risk-taking.
“The Indians might have been surprised by the hardware that the Pakistanis brought to bear,” he said, “because as we’re now discovering they’ve used quite a lot of their Chinese-based technology, and the attention at the moment is focused on the J-10 fighter.”
Clarke added that it appeared one of Pakistan’s J-10 jets may have downed a Rafale, one of the French-made fighter aircraft in India’s arsenal.
“And undoubtedly,” he continued, “the Pakistanis have used their HQ-9, anti-aircraft missiles, which again may have been rather effective.”
“So I think the Indians might have been surprised by the technical abilities that Pakistan seems to have absorbed with their Chinese equipment,” he further added.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire” after a fourth day of strikes and counter-strikes against each other’s military installations.
In a major success for the PAF, hypersonic missiles fired by JF-17 Thunders destroyed India’s S-400 system at Adampur airbase, security sources said. The airbase was also hit during the strike.
The S-400 air defence system is worth around $1.5 billion, considered India’s most advanced air defence shield.
India suffered a loss of $83 billion due to its war hysteria till Friday.
According to Reuters, Indian shares fell for a second straight session on Friday, losing about $83 billion in market value, as intensified military action between India and its neighbouring Pakistan rattled investors.
— With additional input from Reuters
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