Saturday, March 29, 2025
New Delhi, Friday, October 3, 2025 (3:08 PM IST) –
Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Friday made a major disclosure regarding Operation Sindoor. He revealed that India had shot down multiple Pakistani aircraft during the operation, including American-made F-16s and Chinese-made JF-17s.
According to the Air Chief, the IAF destroyed around 12 Pakistani aircraft, among which were five F-16s and five JF-17s. These high-technology fighter jets, he said, were detected by Indian systems as belonging to the categories between the F-16 and JF-17 series. Pakistan is known to possess a large fleet of American and Chinese fighter jets, which it deployed during the conflict.
The operation was launched on May 7, 2025, following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, in April. On the very first night of the campaign, Indian forces targeted bases of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), eliminating more than 100 terrorists.
In response, Pakistan attempted counter-attacks with the support of weapons from China, the US, and Turkey, but failed. Subsequently, the IAF carried out precision strikes, destroying several Pakistani airbases.
Addressing the media on the Air Force’s Annual Day, Air Chief Marshal Singh said:
“As far as Pakistan’s losses are concerned, we struck their airfields heavily. We targeted a significant number of their installations, damaging radars at four locations, two command-and-control centers, two runways, and three hangars. Our systems also indicate the destruction of at least one C-130 aircraft and about four to five fighter jets – most likely F-16s that were present at the site, some possibly undergoing maintenance.”
The F-16 Fighting Falcon, designed in the US and now manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is a single-engine supersonic fighter jet first introduced in 1976. Over 4,600 units have been built so far. Known for its precision strikes in all-weather conditions, the F-16 can:
Fly over 500 miles (860 km) without refueling.
Deliver weapons with high accuracy.
Defend itself against enemy aircraft.
Return safely to base after combat.
Pakistan has acquired 85 F-16s from the US, of which 75 remain operational.
The JF-17 Thunder is a jointly developed fighter aircraft by China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC). It is a lightweight, single-engine, multi-role, 4th-generation jet.
The JF-17 can perform multiple roles, including:
Air-to-air interception.
Ground attack missions.
Anti-ship operations.
Aerial reconnaissance.
Besides Pakistan, the JF-17 is also used by Myanmar, Azerbaijan, and other countries.
