During Operation Sindoor in May 2025, the Indian Air Force (IAF) shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one huge military aircraft, most likely an ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) observation plane or an AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) plane.
Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh has formally acknowledged this, calling it India’s largest-ever surface-to-air kill to date.
Precision strikes were carried out against a number of Pakistani military targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including hangars, radars, airbases, command and control centers, and other terror infrastructure.
At a distance of roughly 300 kilometers, the massive aircraft was engaged, demonstrating the technological prowess of India’s air defense systems, particularly the Russian-made S-400 missile system, which proved crucial in stopping Pakistani aerial retaliation and infiltration into Indian airspace.
After 26 civilians were slain in the Pahalgam terror incident on April 22, 2025, the military responded quickly and strategically with Operation Sindoor.
The IAF struck terror infrastructure linked to organizations including Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammed. In addition to severely damaging prominent airbases including Shahbaz Jacobabad, Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Bholari, and Jacobabad, the operation destroyed a sizable number of UAVs (drones), missiles, radar sites, and command centers, including those at Murid and Chaklala.
Pakistan’s aviation capabilities suffered a critical setback when hangars containing F-16 jets undergoing maintenance were among those destroyed.
The Air Chief Marshal emphasized that the operation had complete political support and that the Indian government had not placed any limitations on military planning or execution. In order to coordinate inter-service and inter-agency activities, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval played a crucial role.
With a focus on minimizing collateral damage and accomplishing strategic goals, the operation demonstrated the need of air warfare as a quick and accurate response to cross-border terrorism.
Singh also recalled a personal achievement, citing the symbolic importance of striking the Sargodha airbase, a vital hub for the Pakistani air force and a long-standing goal in the Indian Air Force prior to his retirement.
Very high-resolution satellite photos taken during Operation Sindoor by the Indian Armed Forces revealed that numerous Pakistani airbases and terror infrastructure had sustained significant damage. These photos offer unmistakable visual proof of India’s targeted attacks on strategic military installations throughout Pakistan, such as radar sites in Pasrur and Sialkot, airbases at Sukkur, Nur Khan (Rawalpindi), Rahim Yar Khan, Mushaf (Sargodha), Jacobabad, Bholari, and Murid. The satellite images show damaged administrative and retail buildings, craters on runways, roof collapses at command-and-control locations close to unmanned aerial vehicle hangars, and destroyed aircraft hangars.
Damage at the Murid air base was very noticeable; a three-meter-wide crater was found extremely near to a heavily guarded underground facility, indicating the target’s high strategic importance. Additionally, the photos show holes in building roofs that show how missile or drone strikes have affected critical military facilities.
The scope and precision of India’s attacks, which targeted several military airbases, command centers, radar stations, and UAV complexes, as well as terror infrastructure associated with organizations like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, were validated by these satellite images. In line with reports of shooting down Pakistani fighter jets and major military aircraft during the operation, some of these airbases housed F-16 jets and sophisticated observation aircraft.
The Indian Air Chief Marshal’s claims regarding the accuracy and significance of the strikes inside Pakistani military installations are supported by the publicly available satellite imagery, which also highlights the scale of the damage caused by Operation Sindoor.
Operation Sindoor was a powerful four-day military operation that showed India’s sophisticated air defense capability and political-military coherence, severely damaged Pakistan’s aerial combat and surveillance capabilities, and sent a strong retaliatory message against terrorism.