India’s Defence Attaché to Indonesia, Captain Shiv Kumar, said that the Indian Air Force lost a few fighter jets to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor on the morning of 7 May. This happened because political orders allowed the IAF to target only terror camps and not Pakistan’s military sites.
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.”
Chief Of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan’s Statement On 31 May
Kumar’s comments came a month after India’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, said that India lost fighter jets on 7 May due to tactical errors. Chauhan said this in Singapore on 31 May. He also clarified that these mistakes were quickly corrected, and the Indian Air Force soon returned with more aircraft to carry out precision strikes deep inside Pakistan, overcoming its air defences.
He was responding to claims from an Indonesian aerospace expert, who said the Indian Air Force lost five fighter jets- three Rafales, one MiG-29, and one Sukhoi-30- along with a tactical drone. During a seminar hosted on 10 June by Universitas Dirgantara Marsekal Suryadarma in Indonesia, he made these remarks, themed ‘Analysis of the Pakistan-India Air Battle and Indonesia’s Anticipatory Strategies.’
In his presentation, Captain Kumar said that on 7 May, India carried out strikes across the border. These strikes targeted nine terror training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). He called the action a form of “political signalling,” meaning it was meant to send a strong message rather than start a full war.
‘Political Constraint’
Captain Shiv Kumar 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.”
Embassy Clarification On Kumar’s Statement
However, the Ministry of Defence declined to comment on Kumar’s remarks. The Indian embassy in Jakarta said in a statement that his words were taken “out of context.”
“The media reports misrepresented the purpose and focus of the presentation,” the embassy said. “The presentation explained that the Indian Armed Forces operate under civilian political leadership, unlike some neighbouring countries. It also clarified that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure, and that India’s response was not meant to escalate the conflict.”
