Latest news with #AirMarshalAKBharti
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
India defense chief says jet downed in Pakistan conflict
India's defense chief on Saturday appeared to confirm his country had lost at least one aircraft during the brief conflict with Pakistan earlier this month, he told Bloomberg in an interview. India and Pakistan were engaged in a four-day conflict this month, their worst standoff since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10. More than 70 people were killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides. Pakistan claimed its Chinese-supplied jets had shot down six Indian aircraft. India's chief of defense staff, General Anil Chauhan, called Pakistan's claims that it shot down six Indian warplanes 'absolutely incorrect.' But Chauhan, when pressed as to whether India had lost any jets, appeared to confirm New Delhi had lost an unspecified number of aircraft -- without giving details. 'I think, what is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down,' he told Bloomberg TV, speaking on the sidelines of Shangri-La Dialogue defense meeting in Singapore. There was no immediate response from New Delhi. On May 11, a day after the ceasefire, India's Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, speaking to reporters, had said that 'all our pilots are back home', adding that 'we are in a combat scenario, and that losses are a part of combat.' A senior security source told AFP three Indian jets had crashed on home soil without giving the make or cause. But until the comments on Saturday, India had not officially confirmed any of its aircraft were lost. 'The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and flew all our jets, again targeting at long range,' Chauhan added, speaking to Bloomberg. 'Why they were down -- that is more important for us, and what did we do after that', he added. The recent conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals was triggered by an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, the deadliest on civilians in the contested Muslim-majority territory in decades. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing the militants it said carried out the attack, charges that Pakistan denied.
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
India confirms Chinese missiles used by Pakistan in strikes
India has confirmed Pakistan used Chinese-made missiles during the recent cross-border military strikes. Air Marshal AK Bharti, India's director general air operations, said Indian forces had intercepted and neutralised a range of hi-tech foreign weapons used by Pakistan, including the Chinese-origin PL-15 long-range air-to-air missile and Turkish Byker YIHA III Kamikaze drones. 'You can see the pieces of it on the screen,' AM Bharti said during a media briefing, pointing to the debris of a PL-15 missile recovered from a field in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, bordering Pakistan in northern India. Pakistan claims it shot down five Indian fighter jets, including three French-made Rafales. A French intelligence source told CNN that a Rafale jet had indeed been downed during exchanges of fire. Delhi sidestepped a question on whether it had lost jets, saying instead that all its pilots were safe. The PL-15, developed by China 's Aviation Industry Corporation, is designed to strike high-value airborne targets at ranges exceeding 200km. In public, Beijing has so far struck a diplomatic tone on the crisis between two South Asian neighbours that were brought back from an all-out-war through back-channel talks. But in private, a Chinese delegation travelled to the Pakistani foreign ministry in the middle of the night to celebrate the success of the missile strikes. India's decision to name China in the recent crisis signals growing alarm in New Delhi over deepening military cooperation between the arch rivals. The Pakistani and Chinese militaries are hosting joint exercises and sharing common weapon platforms. The Chinese are also sharing their intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities with Pakistan. Officers are embedded in the military commands of each other's nations, such as Pakistani officers placed in China's Central Military Commission and Western Theatre Command at Chengdu, which oversees the operational frontier with India. The PL-15 missile, which has never before been used in combat, is powered by a dual-pulse motor that propels it to hypersonic speeds exceeding Mach 5. 'Because they are very, very fast, they basically have what you call a 'no-escape zone',' said Fabian Hoffmann, a missile technology researcher and fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis. The confirmation comes just days after Pakistan's army published a YouTube video showcasing its military arsenal, including a Chinese-made JF-17 Block 3 fighter jet, less advanced than the J-10C, equipped with PL-15 missiles. The combination offers 'potent punch', a caption reads. Analysts believe one of these missiles may have been used to shoot down a Rafale fighter deep inside Indian territory in a long-range 'stand-off' engagement in which neither side crossed the border. The wreckage of a Rafale was reportedly found near Bathinda in Punjab in northern India. The apparent involvement of Chinese aircraft in shooting down a Rafale has ricocheted through defence circles – and sent stock in its maker, Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, surging by as much as 20 per cent. Until now, Chinese weaponry had not been field-tested against Western-made systems like the Rafale. The Indian Air Force operates a fleet of 36 Rafale F3Rs, the most advanced model of the aircraft. Hu Jixin, the former editor of the Chinese state-owned Global Times, said the battle showed 'China's level of military manufacturing has completely surpassed that of Russia and France', adding that Taiwan should feel 'even more scared'.
Arab News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Indian army says talks with Pakistan's military operations chief delayed
ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan have delayed until Monday evening talks between their military operations chiefs to discuss the next steps after a ceasefire, the Indian army said, as New Delhi reopened airports and shares rose in the nuclear-armed rivals. A fragile 48-hour-old truce appeared to be holding on Monday after both sides blamed the other for initial violations on Saturday night, hours after the US-brokered deal was first announced. There were no reports of explosions or projectiles overnight, after some initial ceasefire violations, with the Indian Army saying Sunday was the first peaceful night in recent days along their de facto Line of Control border. Saturday's ceasefire followed four days of intense fighting with drones and missiles and gun fire exchanges across the Line of Control that divides the disputed Kashmir valley into parts administered by India and Pakistan. Dozens were reported killed. The Indian army said on Monday both sides' director generals of military operations would speak by telephone in the evening, a delay from an initial timing of noon (0630 GMT), but gave no reason. 'In spite of some minor damage, all our military bases and systems continue to remain fully operational,' India's director general of air operations, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, told a media briefing. A day earlier, Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai, the director general of military operations, said India's armed forces struck nine militant infrastructure and training facilities, including sites of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group that India blames for carrying out major militant strikes in India and the disputed region of Kashmir. At a televised news conference on Sunday, Pakistan military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan's armed forces targeted a total of 26 Indian military installations in response to India's missile strikes which were launched before dawn Wednesday. He said the military had vowed it would respond to the Indian aggression, and it has fulfilled its commitment to the nation. Sharif warned that any threat to Pakistan's sovereignty or territorial integrity would be met with a 'comprehensive, retributive, and decisive' response. He said Pakistan exercised 'maximum restraint' during the counterstrike, employing medium-range missiles and other munitions, and that no civilian areas were targeted inside India. MARKETS INCH UP Pakistan halted trading on Monday for an hour after its benchmark share index rose nearly 9 percent, having recovered most of its losses in the past three sessions after India's first strikes last Wednesday. Late on Friday, the International Monetary Fund approved a fresh $1.4-billion loan to Pakistan under its climate resilience fund and approved the first review of its $7 billion program. Pakistan's benchmark share index closed up 9.4 percent on Monday, while India's blue-chip Nifty 50 index closed 3.8 percent higher in its best session since February 2021. Before the ceasefire took hold on Saturday, the arch rivals had targeted each other's military installations with missiles and drones, as relations turned sour after India blamed Pakistan for a militant attack that killed 26 tourists on Apr. 22. Pakistan denies the accusations and has called for a neutral investigation. Saturday's truce was first announced by US President Donald Trump. US officials also said the two nations had agreed to hold talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site though no date has been announced yet. Kashmir has been a bone of contention between the two countries since independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Both countries claim the Muslim-majority region in full but govern only parts of it. They have fought two of their three wars since 1947 over the disputed territory. Islamabad has thanked Washington for facilitating Saturday's ceasefire and welcomed Trump's offer to mediate on the Kashmir dispute with India but New Delhi has not commented on US involvement in the truce or talks at a neutral site. - With inputs from Reuters
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
India-Pakistan Ceasefire Holds After Four Days of Clashes
(Bloomberg) -- A ceasefire between India and Pakistan appeared to be holding on Sunday after four days of clashes that brought the two nuclear-armed nations close to a full-blown war. As Trump Reshapes Housing Policy, Renters Face Rollback of Rights A New Central Park Amenity, Tailored to Its East Harlem Neighbors Is Trump's Plan to Reopen the Notorious Alcatraz Prison Realistic? What's Behind the Rise in Serious Injuries on New York City's Streets? NYC Warns of 17% Drop in Foreign Tourists Due to Trump Policies India achieved its objective of 'decimating the terrorist camps,' Air Marshal A K Bharti said at a briefing Sunday, adding that dozens of suspected militants in Pakistan had been killed. Five Indian soldiers as well as civilians died in the fighting too, according to the army. In a late night briefing Sunday, Pakistan's military spokesman said there was no space for war between the two nations. 'Military conflict or war between two rival nuclear states is absurd, inconceivable and sheer stupidity,' Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said. The conflict is 'a recipe for mutual annihilation.' Tensions between the two neighbors escalated sharply on Saturday with drone and missile strikes on military sites, before both sides agreed to a ceasefire, which the US said it helped mediate. While there were reports of both sides violating the truce in the hours after it was called, the ceasefire appeared to be holding on Sunday. The two nations, which have clashed several times over the decades over the disputed territory of Kashmir, conducted tit-for-tat military strikes since Wednesday, accusing each other of escalating the conflict. The US, China and other countries called for restraint as the situation deteriorated rapidly on Saturday morning. Chaudhry said Sunday that at one point Pakistan had drones hovering above all key Indian cities, including the capital New Delhi. Unlike previous clashes, which had been confined along the Line of Control that divides the disputed territory of Kashmir, this time military strikes occurred along the western border, which is not under dispute, and in densely populated cities. Tensions first erupted on April 22, when gunmen killed 26 civilians — mainly tourists — in India's Jammu and Kashmir region. India called the attack an act of terrorism and accused Pakistan of involvement, allegations Islamabad has denied. Two weeks after the attacks, on May 7, India struck nine targets — what it described as terrorist camps — inside Pakistan, the deepest breach of that country's territory by India since the 1971 war. Pakistan hit 26 key Indian military facilities and other targets, Chaudhry said on Sunday. Pakistan's army had said it shot down five Indian fighter jets, including French-made Rafales. India has so far deflected questions about the fighter jets, with Air Marshal A K Bharti saying in a briefing Sunday that 'we are in a combat scenario and losses are a part of combat.' He added that 'at this time I would not like to comment on that because we are still in a combat situation.' India's army had previously said it shot down Pakistani fighter jets, a claim which Pakistan hasn't confirmed. (Updates with Pakistan military briefing throughout.) US Border Towns Are Being Ravaged by Canada's Furious Boycott How the Lizard King Built a Reptile Empire Selling $50,000 Geckos Maybe AI Slop Is Killing the Internet, After All With the New York Liberty, Clara Wu Tsai Aims for the First $1 Billion Women's Sports Franchise Pre-Tariff Car Buying Frenzy Leaves Americans With a Big Debt Problem ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
India-Pakistan Ceasefire Holds After Four Days of Clashes
(Bloomberg) -- A ceasefire between India and Pakistan appeared to be holding on Sunday after four days of clashes that brought the two nuclear-armed nations close to a full-blown war. As Trump Reshapes Housing Policy, Renters Face Rollback of Rights A New Central Park Amenity, Tailored to Its East Harlem Neighbors Is Trump's Plan to Reopen the Notorious Alcatraz Prison Realistic? What's Behind the Rise in Serious Injuries on New York City's Streets? NYC Warns of 17% Drop in Foreign Tourists Due to Trump Policies India achieved its objective of 'decimating the terrorist camps,' Air Marshal A K Bharti said at a briefing Sunday, adding that dozens of suspected militants in Pakistan had been killed. Five Indian soldiers as well as civilians died in the fighting too, according to the army. In a late night briefing Sunday, Pakistan's military spokesman said there was no space for war between the two nations. 'Military conflict or war between two rival nuclear states is absurd, inconceivable and sheer stupidity,' Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said. The conflict is 'a recipe for mutual annihilation.' Tensions between the two neighbors escalated sharply on Saturday with drone and missile strikes on military sites, before both sides agreed to a ceasefire, which the US said it helped mediate. While there were reports of both sides violating the truce in the hours after it was called, the ceasefire appeared to be holding on Sunday. The two nations, which have clashed several times over the decades over the disputed territory of Kashmir, conducted tit-for-tat military strikes since Wednesday, accusing each other of escalating the conflict. The US, China and other countries called for restraint as the situation deteriorated rapidly on Saturday morning. Chaudhry said Sunday that at one point Pakistan had drones hovering above all key Indian cities, including the capital New Delhi. Unlike previous clashes, which had been confined along the Line of Control that divides the disputed territory of Kashmir, this time military strikes occurred along the western border, which is not under dispute, and in densely populated cities. Tensions first erupted on April 22, when gunmen killed 26 civilians — mainly tourists — in India's Jammu and Kashmir region. India called the attack an act of terrorism and accused Pakistan of involvement, allegations Islamabad has denied. Two weeks after the attacks, on May 7, India struck nine targets — what it described as terrorist camps — inside Pakistan, the deepest breach of that country's territory by India since the 1971 war. Pakistan hit 26 key Indian military facilities and other targets, Chaudhry said on Sunday. Pakistan's army had said it shot down five Indian fighter jets, including French-made Rafales. India has so far deflected questions about the fighter jets, with Air Marshal A K Bharti saying in a briefing Sunday that 'we are in a combat scenario and losses are a part of combat.' He added that 'at this time I would not like to comment on that because we are still in a combat situation.' India's army had previously said it shot down Pakistani fighter jets, a claim which Pakistan hasn't confirmed. (Updates with Pakistan military briefing throughout.) US Border Towns Are Being Ravaged by Canada's Furious Boycott How the Lizard King Built a Reptile Empire Selling $50,000 Geckos Maybe AI Slop Is Killing the Internet, After All With the New York Liberty, Clara Wu Tsai Aims for the First $1 Billion Women's Sports Franchise Pre-Tariff Car Buying Frenzy Leaves Americans With a Big Debt Problem ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
