Pakistan claims it shot down several advanced Indian fighter jets and destroyed air-defence systems during the May conflict.
Islamabad has presented no evidence, and India has firmly denied suffering any such losses.
The renewed claims feed into long-standing competing narratives between the two countries about the outcome of the confrontation.
Pakistan Again Claims It Shot Down Multiple Indian Jets During May Conflict
Pakistan’s Air Chief has again asserted that its forces downed several advanced Indian fighter jets during the May conflict, including Rafales and Su-30MKIs, and destroyed air-defence assets. India has denied any such losses, and no independent evidence supports Pakistan’s claims.
Summary
Pakistan renewed its allegations on Tuesday that it had shot down multiple Indian Air Force jets during the brief but intense aerial confrontation in May, with the country’s Air Chief claiming that Pakistan’s forces neutralised some of India’s most advanced aircraft and defence systems.
Speaking at a parade at the Pakistan Air Force Academy, the Air Chief said Pakistani units had brought down several frontline fighters — including Rafales, Su-30MKIs, Mirage 2000s and MiG-29s — as well as unmanned aerial vehicles operating along the conflict zone. He further claimed that Pakistan had also hit Indian air bases and ground installations and even destroyed components of the S-400 air-defence system and related command-and-control centres.
The assertions represent the most expansive version yet of Pakistan’s claims about the May clashes. However, Islamabad has provided no verifiable evidence such as wreckage images, radar data or satellite proof to substantiate the allegations. India has repeatedly dismissed these claims, stating that no fighter jets were lost in the operation and accusing Pakistan of manufacturing narratives for domestic consumption.
This latest statement revives a long-running pattern of competing claims between the two sides, with India previously asserting that it had inflicted substantial losses on Pakistani aircraft — assertions Pakistan has similarly denied. With neither side offering independently verifiable proof, the actual scale of the aerial losses during the May confrontation remains disputed, fuelling continued tension and speculation.
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