IAF officer admits jet losses in clash with Pakistan on May 7

An Indian defence official has confirmed that the Indian Air Force (IAF) lost aircraft during the May 7 air conflict with Pakistan, marking the first public acknowledgment of Indian losses in the recent 86-hour military standoff between the two neighbours.

Speaking at a seminar titled “Analysis of the Pakistan–India Air Battle and Indonesia’s Anticipatory Strategies from the Perspective of Air Power” hosted by Universitas Dirgantara Marsekal Suryadarma in Indonesia, Indian Defence Attaché Captain Shiv Kumar admitted that the IAF "did lose some aircraft" during the night of the unprovoked Indian strikes on civilian areas inside Pakistan.

Captain Kumar attributed the losses to restrictive operational orders from New Delhi, claiming that Indian pilots were instructed not to engage Pakistani military targets in an effort to avoid escalating the conflict further.

This statement follows a similar acknowledgment from India’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, who, during an interview with Bloomberg Television on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, confirmed that the IAF lost fighter jets in the May confrontation.

However, General Chauhan declined to provide specific figures, dismissing Pakistan’s claims of six downed Indian jets.

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“What is important is not the jet being down, but why they were being down,” he remarked, downplaying the numbers.

Separately, BJP senior leader Subramanian Swamy stated on May 30 that five Indian fighter jets, including advanced Rafale aircraft, were shot down by Pakistan—an admission rarely echoed by Indian military officials, who remain tight-lipped about actual losses.

According to Pakistan’s account, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) successfully shot down at least six Indian aircraft during the skirmish, including three French-built Rafale fighter jets—one of India’s most prized military acquisitions aimed at giving the IAF a technological edge.

The mid-air clashes on May 7 were part of a larger escalation following cross-border tensions, drawing international concern over the risk of conflict between two nuclear-capable states.