IAF lost ‘some' jets in Op Sindoor over political constraint to not hit military—Indian Defence Attaché

The Print

5 days ago

He made these remarks during a seminar hosted 10 June by Universitas Dirgantara Marsekal Suryadarma in Indonesia, themed 'Analysis of the Pakistan-India Air Battle and Indonesia's Anticipatory Strategies.'
Responding to a previous presenter who referenced Pakistan's claim of having downed six aircraft, including three Rafales, during Operation Sindoor, Capt. Kumar of the Indian Navy said, 'I may not agree with him that India lost so many aircraft. But, I do agree that we did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishments and their air defences.'
New Delhi: India's Defence Attaché to Indonesia Captain Shiv Kumar has said that the Indian Air Force (IAF) lost 'some' fighter jets to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in the early hours of 7 May due to political constraints that limited military targeting to terror camps alone.
In his presentation, Capt. Kumar described India's cross-border strikes on 7 May, targeting nine terror training camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), as an act of 'political signalling.'
He stated that the 'only constraint the government gave to the armed forces was not to target anything but the terror camps, no military installations.' 'There was an issue of SEAD and DEAD [Suppression and Destruction of Enemy Air Defences] which was not taken earlier because of the constraints given by the political leadership.'
Capt. Kumar went on to add that the tactics were changed after the loss. '…and we went for their military installations, before which we carried out SEAD followed by surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles like BrahMos,' he said.
He identified SEAD and DEAD as a key operational takeaway from Operation Sindoor.
The government had made it clear that India's Operation Sindoor targeted only terror camps and was not targeted at the military. This was so because, had India taken out military radars and surface to air missile systems, it would have been seen as an act of war by the world at large. India has been very clear that Pakistan started the escalation ladder and that the Indian military responded with more force each time they did.
The defence attaché also touched upon India's nuclear posture, reiterating that India follows a no first use (NFU) policy but maintains credible nuclear deterrence across land, air, sea, and undersea platforms. 'Pakistan has a nuclear first use policy, but if it ever attacks India, it won't exist,' he said.
He added that following India's strikes targeting airbases, Pakistan called for a ceasefire on 10 May. Capt. Kumar clarified that India has not agreed to a formal ceasefire, but rather a 'temporary cessation of hostilities.'
As earlier reported by ThePrint, Pakistan, which 'brusquely turned down' the request of Indian Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai on 7 May 'with an intimation that a severe response was inevitable and, in the offing,' was desperately reaching out to him on 10 May to ensure a ceasefire.
Last month, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, had acknowledged IAF losses but dismissed Pakistan's claims of downing six Indian jets, including Rafales, as 'absolutely incorrect.'
In a separate interview with Reuters the same day, Gen Chauhan added, 'We rectified tactics and then went back on 7th, 8th and 10th, and on the 10th in large numbers to hit airbases deep inside Pakistan. [We] penetrated all their air defences with impunity and carried out precision strikes.'
At a seminar in Pune on 3 June, the CDS, referring to the loss of fighters during Op Sindoor, said that professional militaries are not deterred by losses and that operational objectives remain paramount.
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Oppn calls it a cover-up, demands answers
On Sunday, opposition leaders seized on the statements made by the CDS and Capt. Kumar, alleging a cover-up of the scale of Indian losses during the operation.
Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh said on 'X', 'First the Chief of Defence Staff makes important revelations in Singapore. Then a senior defence official follows up from Indonesia. But why is the PM refusing to preside over an all-party meeting and take the Opposition into confidence? Why has the demand for a special session of Parliament been rejected?'
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera also joined in to criticise the government's handling of information related to Operation Sindoor on 'X'.
'…It was left to Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan to make the first official admission of our attrition in the air while speaking to Bloomberg TV… and now, in another shocking revelation by Capt. Shiv Kumar, it has emerged that the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets to Pakistan on the night of May 7, 2025 during its targeting of Pakistan's terror-linked sites only because of the constraint given by the political leadership… No wonder they are ducking our demand for a Special Session of Parliament,' he said.
Later in the day, the Indian embassy in Indonesia issued a statement on 'X', pushing back against how Capt. Shiv Kumar's remarks were being misunderstood. 'We have seen media reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attaché at a seminar,' the embassy said.
'His remarks have been quoted out of context, and the media reports are a misrepresentation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker,' it added.
The embassy clarified that the presentation had highlighted how 'the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood,' and that it had emphasised the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure in a 'non-escalatory' manner.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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