India downed 6 Pakistani aircraft in May clash, air force chief says
Most of the Pakistani aircraft were downed by India's Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system, Indian Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh said at an event in the southern city of Bengaluru. He cited electronic tracking data as confirmation of the strikes.
'We have at least five fighters confirmed killed, and one large aircraft,' he said, adding that the large aircraft, which could be a surveillance plane, was shot down at a distance of 300km (186 miles).
'This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill,' he said, prompting applause from the crowd that included serving air force officers, veterans and government and industry officials.
Pakistan's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Singh did not mention the type of fighter jets that were downed, but said that air strikes also hit an additional surveillance plane and 'a few F-16' fighters that were parked in hangars at two airbases in southeastern Pakistan.
Islamabad, whose air force primarily operates Chinese-made jets and US F-16s, has previously denied that India downed any Pakistani aircraft during the May 7-10 fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
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