Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following a week of intense aerial engagements, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has acknowledged the loss of assets during air combat, including Rafale jets, without disclosing specific details.
Addressing a joint press conference on Operation Sindoor, senior defence officials from India refrained from confirming the number or type of aircraft lost.
However, Air Marshal AK Bharti emphasized that “we are in a combat situation, there will be losses,” adding that the primary focus should be on whether India achieved its objectives.
When pressed by reporters on the number of assets lost during the exchange with the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Air Marshal Bharti declined to reveal specifics, stating that disclosing such information would benefit the adversary. “We don’t want to give him any advantage at this stage,” he remarked.
The Indian Defence Ministry has so far remained tight-lipped on the exact toll taken by the operation, though the use of the phrase “losses are part of combat” has been widely interpreted as confirmation that the IAF suffered setbacks, possibly including the loss of Rafale fighter jets.