A senior Indian defence official has revealed that the Indian Air Force lost some fighter jets during recent air strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan. 

He said this happened because India’s political leaders had restricted attacks on Pakistani military targets. His comments have caused political controversy and led to a clarification from the Indian government.

Operation Sindoor Controversy: IAF Losses; Government Responds

A senior Indian defence official, who is currently posted in Indonesia, has made a statement that has sparked a political debate. 

He said that the Indian Air Force (IAF) lost some fighter jets during the May 7 strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). 

According to him, this happened because India’s political leadership had placed restrictions on attacking Pakistani military targets.

The official, Navy Captain Shiv Kumar (who holds the rank of Colonel and serves as India’s defence attaché in Indonesia), made this statement during a seminar held on June 10. 

The seminar was called “Analysis of the Pakistan-India Air Battle and Indonesia’s Anticipatory Strategies from the Perspective of Air Power.”

His comments came shortly after Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan admitted that the IAF had suffered some losses during Operation Sindoor - India’s large-scale military response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Captain Kumar said, “I may not agree that we lost many aircraft, but yes, we did lose some. That happened only because the political leadership had restricted us from attacking Pakistani military bases and air defences.”

He added that after losing aircraft, India changed its strategy. Indian forces then targeted military installations and radar systems first, allowing the later attacks (on May 10) using BrahMos missiles to be successful.

These remarks match what CDS Chauhan had said earlier at an event in Singapore on May 31. He did not mention how many jets were lost but confirmed that there were some setbacks in the beginning. 

He said that after that, India focused on destroying enemy air defences before carrying out precise attacks.

“Losses happened on May 7 during the early stages. The number is not important. What matters is understanding why we lost them and what steps we took afterward,” Gen Chauhan had explained.

After Capt Kumar’s comments were reported in the media, the Congress party used them to criticize the Modi government’s handling of the operation. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan claimed it shot down six Indian jets, including three Rafale fighters - a claim Gen Chauhan called “absolutely incorrect.”

The Indian government responded to the controversy. The Indian embassy in Jakarta issued a statement saying that Capt Kumar’s comments were taken out of context.

They said the media had misunderstood what he meant. 

His presentation, they explained, was meant to highlight India’s system where the military operates under the control of elected civilian leaders, unlike in some neighbouring countries.

The embassy added that Operation Sindoor was carefully planned as a limited response, focused only on destroying terrorist infrastructure, and not meant to escalate into a bigger conflict.

So far, the government has not officially confirmed how many Indian fighter jets were lost during the operation.