CDS Refutes Pakistan's Claim of Downing 6 Indian Jets, Admits 'Initial Losses' Were Rectified Before Hitting Back Hard

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Saturday refuted Pakistan's claims of downing six Indian jets during the military escalations post Operation Sindoor. In an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, CDS Chauhan admitted that India suffered "initial losses" on May 7 but changed its tactics to inflict major damage on Pakistan airbases, which ultimately led to Islamabad reaching out to New Delhi for a ceasefire.

Gen Chauhan said, "What I can say is that on the 7th [May], in the initial stages, there were losses, but numbers, that is not important. What was important is why these losses occur and what we will do after that."

"We rectified tactics and then went back on 7th, 8th and 10th, and on 10th in large numbers to hit airbases deep inside Pakistan. Penetrated all their air defence with impunity and carried out precision strikes," he added.

On Pakistan's claims that it downed six IAF jets, he told Bloomberg TV in a separate interview, "Absolutely incorrect."

When Gen Chauhan was asked "whether or not Pakistan downed an Indian jet", he said, "What is important is that... not the jet being downed, but why they were being downed."

He added, "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".

CDS Chauhan further stated that losses were part of any combat situation, but "all our pilots are back home".

He also clarified that the face-off did not come close to a point of nuclear conflagration. "I think there's a lot of space before that nuclear threshold is crossed, a lot of signalling before that, I think nothing like that happened," Gen Chauhan said.

"During this operation, I found both sides displaying a lot of rationality in their thoughts as well as actions. So why should we assume that in the nuclear domain there will be irrationality on someone else's part?" he asked.

Prior to this, at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, CDS Anil Chauhan had shed light on Operation Sindoor, emphasising how it marks a shift in the nature of warfare. He highlighted that modern conflicts are no longer defined solely by physical combat but increasingly rely on advanced technology, cyber capabilities and control over information.

A notable portion of the operation was dedicated to countering misinformation, he revealed. General Chauhan shared that approximately 15% of the armed forces' efforts were spent addressing fake news and misleading narratives.

"We're no longer fighting linear wars; we're operating across distributed networks, applying force in non-linear ways, where deception is becoming more important than surprise," he said.

'Operation Sindoor'

'Operation Sindoor' was launched on May 7 in response to the cross-border terror links to the Pahalgam attack. It had three clear objectives: military, political, and psychological. All three were met, and over 100 terrorists, including high-value targets like Yusuf Azhar, Abdul Malik Rauf, and Mudasir Ahmed, have been successfully eliminated in the operation without a single civilian being harmed. The strikes reportedly involved the use of SCALP cruise missiles, laser-guided bombs, and armed UAVs, demonstrating the jointness and technological edge of India's armed forces.

India has now initiated a diplomatic global outreach to 33 countries to combat misinformation and nail Pakistan's role as a terror sponsor.

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