Pakistan's AWACS, 5 fighter jets were brought down by India during Operation Sindoor: Air Force Chief

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 while speaking at the L. M. Katre Lecture.

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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 300 kilometres away, and bringing it down was the longest-ever recorded surface-to-air elimination by the IAF in history, he reportedly said. 

 

Bringing down the AWACS was a major blow to Pakistan's ability to strike back, he said. Amidst the India-Pakistan tensions, unconfirmed reports on May 9 had said that Islamabad 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.

 

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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.

Defence