Pakistan says US confirmed no F-16s flown, shot down during India standoff
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday the US had confirmed to Pakistani officials that no F-16 fighter jets of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) were flown or shot down during the four-day conflict with India last month.
Militaries of nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan faced-off in four days of fighting between May 7-10, which saw the use of fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery by both sides before a ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump.
In the days that followed, Indian media claimed the Indian Air Force had shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet during the conflict.
'Turned out to be a lie that the F-16 they claimed of shooting down,' Dar said while addressing a press conference.
'It was proved when we approached relevant authorities in America, they confirmed in 24 hours that no F-16 was flown from Pakistan or went down.'
The US has not commented on the Pakistani deputy PM's remarks.
The use of F-16s in the latest conflict could have raised concerns due to the strict end-use monitoring agreements imposed by the US.
In February 2025, the US had released $397 million for a program aimed at ensuring that Pakistan's F-16s were used exclusively for counterterrorism operations and not against other nations, particularly India.
The funds will support the Technical Security Team (TST), a group of contractors stationed in Pakistan to oversee the use of F-16s under strict end-use monitoring rules.
According to Pakistan-specific defense and analysis group Quwa, TST has been present in Pakistan since 2019 when the US approved its current deployment with a $125 million support package for the PAF F-16 fleet.
Pakistan in 2019 invited US officials to conduct a count of its F-16 jets after India made a similar claim of shooting down a Pakistani F-16 during a dogfight in the skies that year. According to a Foreign Policy magazine report, the officials had said that all F-16s were present and accounted for.
In 2022, the US government had notified Congress of a proposed $450 million foreign military sale to Pakistan to support the sustainment of the PAF's F-16 program.
Tensions between Pakistan and India remain high after the two countries agreed to a ceasefire on May 10. Both sides accuse each other of supporting militancy across their respective borders, allegations both governments deny.
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