Latest news with #Rafales
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
India lost jets but changed tactics to hit Pakistan hard: CDS
NEW DELHI: India did lose some fighter jets during the strikes on nine terror hubs in Pakistan and POK and the consequent retaliation on May 7, but then changed tactics to inflict major damage on airbases deep across the border before the ceasefire three days later, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said on Saturday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The CDS did not specify the exact number of jets India lost but asserted that Pakistan's claim of having shot down six IAF aircraft, including three French-origin Rafales, was "absolutely incorrect" in separate interviews to Reuters TV and Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Gen Chauhan's admission of India's initial setbacks during is the most direct since director -general of air operations Air Marshal A K Bharti on May 11 said losses were part of any combat situation but "all our pilots are back home", implying that they had ejected safely after their jets were hit by enemy fire. "What I can say is on May 7, in the initial stages, there were losses," Gen Chauhan said. India-Pak conflict came nowhere close to N-faceoff: CDS Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said the conflict with Pakistan from May 7 to May 10, which saw reciprocal air, missile, drone and artillery strikes, never came anywhere close to the point of nuclear conflagration, with both sides 'displaying a lot of rationality in their thoughts as well as actions'. In another interview on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, the CDS further said, '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.' Gen Chauhan was also dismissive of the effectiveness of Pakistan's air defence systems of Chinese-origin like HQ-9 missile batteries and radars as well as the use of Turkish-origin Byker Yiha kamikaze drones and Asisguard Songar drones. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'They didn't work. We were able to do precision strikes on heavily air-defended airfields of Pakistan 300km deep inside, with the precision of a metre,' he said. Pakistan was obviously prepared for the initial Indian strikes on May 7, which saw the IAF and Army hit four terror hubs in Pakistan and five in PoK, with fighter-launched missiles and 'smart' bombs as well as Kamikaze drones and extended range artillery shells between 1.05 am and 1.30 am. India immediately made it clear that the aim was to hit only terror infrastructure, and no military bases were targeted. Pakistan, however, chose to escalate the situation, which included launching waves of drones and some missiles to target Indian airbases, military assets and civilian areas. The IAF then struck nine Pakistani airbases and at least three radar sites, a few of them close to nuclear facilities as well as command and control structures, with Sukhoi-30MKI, Rafale and Mirage-2000 fighters using BrahMos, Crystal Maze-2, Rampage and Scalp missiles, among other precision munitions, for the calibrated pinpoint strikes, as was reported by TOI. Gen Chauhan, on his part, declined to comment on President Donald Trump's claim that the US brokered the ceasefire to help avert a nuclear war but said it was 'far-fetched' to suggest either side was close to using nuclear weapons. Pakistan's chairman of joint chiefs of staff Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza had made the same point a day ago, also on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, but had stressed that a 'strategic miscalculation' cannot be ruled out in the future. Gen Chauhan, however, said 'people in uniform' were actually the 'most rational' since they understand the consequences. 'In every step that happened during Operation Sindoor, I found both sides displaying a lot of rationality in their thoughts as well as actions. So, why should we assume that in the nuclear domain, there will be irrationality on someone else's part,' he said. There is 'a lot of space' between the conduct of conventional operations and the nuclear threshold, the CDS said, adding that channels of communication with Pakistan 'were always open' to control the situation and there were 'more sub-ladders' on the escalation ladder that 'can be exploited to settle our issues'.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Uttam demands transparency on ‘Rafale losses'
Hyderabad: Irrigation and civil supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday demanded full transparency from the Centre regarding the losses suffered during Operation Sindoor and the conflict between India and Pakistan, particularly the reported downing of . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Addressing a media conference at AICC headquarters in New Delhi, Uttam, a former IAF fighter pilot himself, said: "When Rahul Gandhi first raised questions on Rafales being shot down, he was accused of being anti-national. But today, General Anil Chauhan, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), has confirmed that Rafale aircraft were brought down." He also cited Air Marshal Bharti, Director General Air Operations, who in the DGMO briefing had said: "Losses are normal in combat. The objectives of the mission have been achieved and all pilots have come home." Uttam emphasised that while the pilots returned safely, "the aircraft have not returned to their bases," highlighting the need for transparency. He criticised the BJP govt for initially denying these losses and launching a campaign against Rahul Gandhi. "Now that the CDS himself has spoken, the govt should stop the denials. We are proud of our armed forces, but transparency strengthens trust and helps us learn from every operation. How did the US President announce the ceasefire before the DGMOs of India and Pakistan? The govt of India has never clearly explained how this happened. " He stressed the need for a serious reassessment of India's defence technology, pointing out that most of the firing during the four-day operation happened from within each country's international borders. "Yet, we lost fighter aircraft. This requires a thorough review of our technological capabilities," he said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The BJP-led govt at the centre should act urgently on the concerns raised by the air force chief about delays in fighter aircraft supply, talent shortages, and the gap between sanctioned and operational squadrons in the armed forces. India's operational fighter squadrons were below the sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons. All three armed forces are short of manpower by over 10 percent. Given the live threats on both our borders (China and Pakistan), we should be going beyond the sanctioned strength. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) did not deliver the Tejas Mark-1A fighter jets on time as said by the Air Chief. This can prove to be a serious problem. The entire country and the govt of India must wake up to the reality to strengthen our armed forces considerably," Uttam said. Quoting the Air Chief Marshal directly, Uttam said: "India has fallen behind China in defence technology and production although our training standards remain superior. This is of serious concern and urgent necessary corrective steps should be taken. The best minds are not joining the service in sufficient numbers, especially in operational and R&D wings. The govt should attract top talent." Uttam reaffirmed his pride in the Indian armed forces while urging the govt to ensure they are equipped, supported, and respected with honesty and transparency. The govt must acknowledge what happened, learn lessons, and be accountable. "We salute the for their decisive victory, but we must be prepared for the challenges ahead," he said.
India Gazette
7 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"What's wrong with that?": Telangana Minister on Congress asking questions concerning Operation Sindoor
New Delhi [India], May 31 (ANI): Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday slammed BJP leader Sambit Patra for his 'Pakistan ke babbar' jibe at party leaders and said there is nothing wrong in asking questions of the government about account of gains and losses during a military conflict. 'If somebody asks if India has lost a fighter aircraft, what is wrong with that. Today, (CDS) General Chauhan gave this answer, so what is wrong if any Congress leader asks this question?... Whenever there is a conflict, all nations give their victories and losses. To a question asked by Congress leaders, why did the BJP react that we are anti-national and anti-patriotic?. What will they say today when General Chauhan has said that we lost a fighter aircraft?' he told ANI. Talking to the media, Reddy also talked about to US remarks about mediation. 'As it appears very clearly, Rafale aircraft were shot down in the foreday operations... An hour ago, CDS General Anil Chauhan confirmed this... The government of India should now stop denying this...' He also says, 'The government has never explained why US President Trump announced the ceasefire before either of the DGMOs of both countries spoke,' he said. India carried out Operation Sindoor on May 7 and launched precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. India also repelled subsequent Pakistan aggression and pounded its airbases. Sambit Patra had attacked the Congress and said party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Jairam Ramesh had not asked how many Pakistan airbases were destroyed or terrorists were killed. 'Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, and Revanth Reddy are asking how many Rafales were shot down. 'Yeh jo Pakistan ke Babbar hain, woh Hindustan ke Gabbar hain'. Rahul Gandhi did not ask how many Pakistani airbases were destroyed, how many terrorists were killed; rather, he only asked how many Indian planes were shot down. Today, there are two factions in Congress - one which supports Pakistan and the other which wants to raise a voice for the country but is unable to do so because of you. Your 'Jai Hind Yatra' looks like 'Pakistan's Hind Yatra' and you should stop this yatra and hold a joint press conference with Pakistan', Sambit Patra had said. (ANI)
India Today
9 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
War not about losses, but making enemy kneel: Union Minister on Operation Sindoor
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Saturday responded to the recent remarks made by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan regarding Indian Air Force (IAF) losses during Operation Sindoor, a military operation against Pakistan earlier this to India Today in Jaipur, Shekhawat stated that the focus should not be on the number of losses but on the outcome of the operation. advertisement"I think that war is not a matter of counting one's losses. War is judged by the way, under what circumstances, the other side bowed down and made a compromise with you. We forced Pakistan to make a compromise, ceasefire and show favour in four days by making it kneel without any conditions. I think this topic is more important," Shekhawat said. The statement comes hours after India's top military officer admitted that India lost fighter jets during the initial phase of Operation Sindoor on May 7. Speaking to Bloomberg during the Shangri-La Dialogue, he emphasised that while some jets were downed, the key takeaway was the military's ability to swiftly identify and correct tactical errors."What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down... Why they were down, what mistakes were made - that are important. Numbers are not important," General Chauhan also dismissed Pakistani Prime Minister's claims that six Indian jets, including four Rafales, were downed as "absolutely incorrect."Chauhan also stressed that the operation did not escalate into a nuclear conflict and that communication channels between India and Pakistan remained open throughout the hostilities to manage a separate statement to Reuters, General Chauhan reaffirmed that the early-stage losses prompted immediate strategic adjustments. 'We analysed what went wrong, rectified our approach, and went back stronger,' he the armed forces had deflected questions about Indian jets being shot down by Pakistan. In an earlier interview, Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General of Air Operations, echoed a similar sentiment in a press conference, said, 'Losses are a part of any combat scenario. All our pilots are back, and we achieved our operational objectives decisively.'Must Watch
Saudi Gazette
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
India confirms fighter jet losses in clashes with Pakistan
NEW DELHI — India's military has for the first time acknowledged the loss of fighter jets in the recent escalation with Pakistan, but dismissed Islamabad's claim of downing six aircraft as 'absolutely incorrect.' Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan confirmed the losses in a televised interview with Bloomberg on Saturday, stating the focus should not be on how many jets were lost, but rather on understanding why they were downed and what lessons have been learned. 'What is important is not the jet being down, but why they went down. That is more important,' Chauhan said on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. 'The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake, remedy it, and implement it again after two days.' Pakistan had claimed responsibility for shooting down six Indian fighter jets — including four Rafales, a Su-30MKI, and a MiG-29 — during India's cross-border airstrikes on May 6–7. Chauhan disputed the number but did not provide specific figures. The high-stakes confrontation was sparked by an April 22 mass shooting in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists. India blamed cross-border involvement, which Pakistan denied, offering an international investigation attacks led to days of retaliatory air and drone strikes between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. India reportedly struck targets inside Pakistan on May 6–7, followed by Pakistani counterstrikes on May were halted after U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire, which remains in place. — Agencies
