5 Pak Jets Down, F-16 Destroyed in Operation Sindoor: IAF Chief

IAF Chief, for the first time since Op Sindoor, has released their Kill list; this is a subtle msg to Trump’s ilu-ilu with Gen. Munir & Azerbaijan!
Kill List: 10+ Runways, Command Centres, One Large Aircraft (Perhaps an AWAACS), F-16s resting in Hangers, 5 Jets and many Runways pic.twitter.com/aj12kcQdl7

— Mihir Jha (@MihirkJha) August 9, 2025

New Delhi: In a rare disclosure, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh has revealed striking details of Operation Sindoor, hailing it as one of the most decisive missions in modern Indian Air Force history.

The high-risk operation saw the downing of five Pakistani fighter jets and an airborne surveillance aircraft. In a standout moment of the mission, an enemy F-16 was obliterated inside its own hangar — a feat Air Chief Singh credited to India’s cutting-edge S-400 Triumf air defense system, which he called a “game changer” in neutralizing threats deep within hostile territory.

The revelations come amid rising geopolitical heat: US President Donald Trump has turned up his criticism of New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi readies for a crucial Beijing visit later this month, and NSA Ajit Doval engages in high-level weapons talks in Moscow.

In Parliament, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Modi government of waging “politically constrained warfare” and sending troops into Operation Sindoor with “hands tied behind their back.” He also urged the PM to directly challenge Trump over his claims of mediating an India-Pakistan ceasefire.

India-US ties remain strained as Washington slaps tariffs of up to 50% on Indian exports and freezes trade talks. Against this backdrop, PM Modi will travel to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit on August 31–September 1 — his first Beijing visit in over seven years — while Doval seeks to secure more S-400 units and the next-generation Su-57 stealth fighters from Russia.