'Focus should be on why jets were lost, not how many', says CDS Chauhan

May 31, 2025 by News Desk

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan on Saturday acknowledged the loss of aircraft in recent hostilities with Pakistan but dismissed as “absolutely incorrect” Islamabad’s claim of downing six Indian jets.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Gen Chauhan emphasized that it is more important to analyze the reasons behind the losses than to focus on the number of jets lost. “I think what is important is not the jet being downed but why they were being downed,” he said.

When asked whether India lost combat aircraft during the four-day military confrontation with Pakistan earlier this month, Chauhan said, “The good part is that we were able to understand the tactical mistakes which we made; remedied, rectified and then implemented it again after two days. We flew all our jets again, targeting at long range.”

Responding to Pakistan’s assertion of downing six Indian jets during what has been termed “Operation Sindoor,” Chauhan said, “Absolutely incorrect.”

Earlier, Indian Air Force’s Director General of Air Operations, Air Marshal AK Bharti, had acknowledged that “losses are a part of combat,” but assured that all IAF pilots had returned home safely.

Air Marshal Bharti made these remarks during a media briefing on May 11, when questioned about aircraft losses during Operation Sindoor.

Gen Chauhan is currently in Singapore to participate in the Shangri-La Dialogue, a key annual summit on Asian security and defence.