Tactical Lessons, Not Numbers, Matter: India On Operation Sindoor Losses

India's military at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore stressed the importance of understanding the tactical errors that led to losses of fighter jets during its May conflict with Pakistan, while emphasising the confrontation never approached the threshold of nuclear war.

Speaking to Bloomberg TV, General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces, noted that the Indian Air Force quickly corrected its approach and resumed long-range precision operations within two days.

“What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down,” Chauhan told Bloomberg. He declined to disclose the number of aircraft lost but dismissed Pakistan’s claim of downing six Indian jets as “absolutely incorrect”.

“Numbers are not important,” he added.

The military clash — the most severe between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in decades — involved air, drone, missile, and artillery exchanges.

Chauhan also dismissed suggestions that the crisis neared nuclear escalation. Responding to US President Donald Trump’s claim that American intervention helped avert nuclear war, Chauhan said it was “far-fetched”, adding that there remained significant room between conventional conflict and the nuclear threshold. Communication channels with Pakistan, he noted, remained open throughout the crisis.

He further downplayed the reported effectiveness of Chinese-supplied weapons used by Pakistan, stating they “didn’t work”. A research group affiliated with India’s defence ministry recently reported that China supported Pakistan with air defence systems and satellite data.

Despite the intensity of the conflict, Chauhan said the ceasefire is currently holding and reiterated that its continuation would depend on Pakistan’s future conduct. “We have laid clear red lines,” he told Bloomberg.