India’s military confirmed for the first time that it lost an unspecified number of fighter jets in clashes with Pakistan in May, while saying the four-day conflict never came close to the point of nuclear war.
What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down,” Anil Chauhan, chief of defense staff of the Indian Armed Forces, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Saturday, while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Chauhan said that “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”.
The admission comes in the aftermath of heightened tensions triggered by a deadly terrorist attack on April 22 in Indian-administered Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. India attributed the attack to Pakistan-based militant groups and responded with cross-border airstrikes on May 7, targeting what it described as terrorist launch pads.
In response, Pakistan launched retaliatory strikes and claimed it had downed multiple Indian jets, including advanced Rafale fighters. Pakistani military sources stated that Chinese-built J-10C aircraft, armed with long-range PL-15 missiles, were instrumental in achieving air superiority during the skirmishes.
The hostilities culminated in a ceasefire agreement on May 10, brokered with diplomatic assistance from the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom.
While both countries have since declared victory and scaled back active operations, tensions remain high along the Line of Control, and intermittent exchanges of fire have continued
Its a Bloomberg Tv source
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