Operation Sindoor objectives achieved; losses are part of combat but pilots are back home, says IAF

Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai (second from left) with Air Marshal A.K. Bharti (left), Vice Admiral A.N. Pramod (second from right) and Major. Gen. SS Sharda (right) addressing the media at National Media centre in New Delhi on May 11, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

We are in a combat scenario and losses are part of combat, Indian Air Force’s Director General of Air Operations (DGAO) Air Marshal Bharti said on Sunday (May 11, 2025) while adding that the forces have achieved the objectives of Operation Sindoor and all the pilots are back home. The Air Marshal declined to comment at this stage on any aircraft losses on the Indian side. Further, without giving a number, he said that they have shot down some Pakistani aircraft.

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“We are in a combat scenario, losses are a part of combat. The question you must ask us is… have we achieved our objective of decimating the terrorist camps? And the answer is a thumping yes. And the results are for the whole world to see,” Air Marshal Bharti said in response to a question from The Hindu at a briefing on Sunday, if the IAF had lost any fighter jets. “As for the details, what could have been… how many numbers… which platform did we lose… at this time I would not like to comment on that because we are still in a combat situation. If I comment on anything, it will be only advantage adversary. So, we don’t want to give him any advantage at this stage.”

“I am happy that you have asked this question,” the DGAO said at the beginning of his response. “All I can say is that we have achieved the objectives that we selected and all our pilots are back home.”

There have been several reports in the international media and also claims by Pakistani officials of Indian fighter jets having crashed or been shot down by Pakistan during the precision strikes carried out by the Indian armed forces on the night between May 6 and 7 as they hit nine targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. However, there has been no confirmation or denial of the news by the government so far.

To a question in this regard on May 8, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, without denying the claim, said that official information will be shared when the time is right.

To a question on losses on the Pakistani side, Air Marshal Bharti said that their planes were prevented from coming inside our border, so they don’t have wreckage but “definitely” downed “a few” Pakistani planes. “On numbers, we would not like to hazard a guess. I have the numbers and we are getting into technical details to establish it. So, I would not like to put a figure at this time,” he stated.

In this regard, Air Marshal Bharti also said that India’s air defence systems successfully thwarted a wave of drones, Unmanned Combat Aerial vehicles (UCAV) and missiles launched by Pakistan.