Analysts support IAF Chief's claim of shooting down Pakistan's fighter jets during Operation Sindoor

Several international military aviation analysts and historians have supported Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh’s recent statement that the Indian Air Force shot down at least five Pakistani Air Force fighter jets and one airborne early warning aircraft during Operation Sindoor, conducted between May 7 and May 10.

Amid official denials from Pakistan, Austria-based aerial warfare expert Tom Cooper described the IAF Chief's remarks as a confirmation of assessments already made earlier. "What ACM Singh said was just a confirmation of something that was more or less known since May," Cooper told ANI. He added that there had been evidence not only of aerial losses but also of Pakistani aircraft destroyed on the ground during the conflict.

S-400 shoot-down described as historic

Cooper also endorsed Singh’s claim that India’s S-400 surface-to-air missile system achieved a record-setting engagement by shooting down a target from a range of 300 km. He identified the target as a Saab 2000, a Pakistani airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.

"It is the longest range confirmed shoot-down by a surface-to-air missile. This is a historic achievement," he said, noting that the only comparable incident was during the Ukraine-Russia conflict, where a surface-to-air missile hit a target at around 200 km.

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Operation carried out under high risk

Highlighting the operational challenges, Cooper said the S-400 missile system was deployed so close to the India-Pakistan border that it was within range of Pakistani artillery. “If it would stay, its presence of the firing unit in question would have been detected by Pakistanis too early, Pakistanis could have shelled the area in question, hit and destroyed this firing unit. So it was quite a risky operation, actually,” he said.

Operation Sindoor termed a decisive Indian victory

Tom Cooper has previously described Operation Sindoor as a clear victory for India. His view aligns with that of John Spencer, another prominent military strategist, who also assessed the outcome of the limited war as decisively in India’s favour.

(With inputs from TOI)