'Absolutely incorrect': CDS Chauhan rejects Pakistan's claim of shooting down 6 Indian jets

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan

The Indian military has confirmed the loss of fighter jets in the recent conflict with Pakistan but refuted Islamabad's claims of shooting down six Indian warplanes, Bloomberg has reported.

In an interview to Bloomberg TV, Anil Chauhan, chief of defence staff (CDS) of the Indian Armed Forces, said that India was able to turn around the situation despite the losses because it was quick to understand the mistakes and rectify them.

CDS Chauhan, who was speaking to Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, did not specify the number of jets India lost.

“Why they were down, what mistakes were made — that are important ... Numbers are not important,” he said.

“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,” Chauhan added.

The Indian government has so far refrained from divulging details of the loss of fighter jets during the military escalation with Pakistan. However, Indian Air Force's Director General of Air Operations, Air Marshall AK Bharti, had earlier acknowledged that “losses are a part of combat”.

Indias military confirmed for the first time that it lost an unspecified number of fighter jets in clashes with Pakistan in May.Anil Chauhan, chief of defense staff of the Indian Armed Forces, spoke to Bloomberg TV on Saturday, while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in pic.twitter.com/9y3GW6WJfn

Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) May 31, 2025

The clash was the worst between the nuclear-armed neighbors in half a century, with both sides trading air, drone and missile strikes, as well as artillery and small arms fire along their shared border.

The military escalation was triggered by the deadly attack in J&K's Pahalgam on April 22 by Pakistan-based terrorists, leading to the gruesome deaths of 26 civilians. India responded by launching Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting nine terror facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

No Nuclear war

CDS Chauhan declined to comment on President Donald Trump’s claim that the US helped avert a nuclear war, but said it was “far-fetched” to suggest either side was close to using atomic weapons.

“I personally feel that there is a lot of space between conduct of conventional operations and the nuclear threshold,” Chauhan said. Channels of communication with Pakistan “were always open” to control the situation, he added, noting that on the escalation ladder there were “more sub-ladders which can be exploited for settling out our issues” without needing to resort to nuclear weapons.

‘Red Lines’

Chauhan also played down Pakistan’s claims about the effectiveness of weaponry deployed from China and other countries, saying they “didn’t work.” A research group under Defense Ministry said this month that China provided Pakistan with air defense and satellite support during its clash with India.

“We were able to do precision strikes on heavily air-defended airfields of Pakistan deep 300 kilometers inside, with the precision of a meter,” the Indian military chief said.

India has also sent delegations to global capitals to expose Pakistan's terror links and present its stance on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan later launched a similar global diplomatic outreach effort in a copycat move.

Speaking about the ceasefire understanding following the conflict, Chauhan said the cessation of hostilities is holding for now and will depend on Pakistan’s actions in the future. “We have laid clear red lines,” he said.