Air Chief Marshal AP Singh Dismisses Pakistan’s Claims on Operation Sindoor, Details Heavy Damage in May Strikes

Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Friday rejected Pakistan’s claims regarding Operation Sindoor, giving a detailed account of the damage inflicted on Islamabad during the May 7–10 strikes.

Speaking at the 93rd Air Force Day celebrations in Delhi, Singh said:

“We struck a large number of their airfields and installations.”

He outlined Pakistan’s reported losses, including:

• Radars at four locations

• Two command-and-control centres

• Two runways damaged

• Three hangars at separate bases

• A C-130 class aircraft and 4–5 fighter jets, most likely F-16s under maintenance

• One SAM system destroyed

• A long-range strike hitting either an AEW&C or SIGINT aircraft

• Five modern fighters, between F-16 and JF-17 class

Mocking Pakistan’s Claims
Singh ridiculed Islamabad’s narrative that it had downed Indian aircraft, calling such statements “manohar kahaniyan (fascinating tales).” He added:

“If they think they downed 15 jets, I hope they are convinced and will cater for 15 fewer aircraft in my inventory when they come to fight again.”

This is not the first time Singh has detailed Pakistani losses. In August, he said five Pakistani jets were downed by India’s S-400 air defence systems during the operation.

Pakistan’s Counter-Narrative
His remarks came days after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the UN General Assembly that his forces had destroyed seven Indian jets, a claim made without evidence. India swiftly countered through Petal Gahlot, First Secretary at its UN Mission, who said:

“If destroyed runways and burnt-out hangars look like victory, as the prime minister claimed, Pakistan is welcome to enjoy it.”

Background
Tensions spiked after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes reportedly killed over 100 terrorists before Pakistan requested a ceasefire on May 10.