Indian Defence Attaché Admits PAF Downed IAF Jets During May 7 Air Battle

India’s Defence Attaché in Indonesia, Captain Shiv Kumar, has acknowledged that Indian Air Force (IAF) jets were downed by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during the military confrontation on May 7, an admission made during a seminar in Jakarta. While addressing the event titled ‘Analysis of the Pakistan-India Air Battle and Indonesia’s Anticipatory Strategies from the Perspective of Air Power’ at Universitas Dirgantara Marsekal Suryadarma on June 10, the attaché refrained from specifying how many Indian aircraft were lost.

Captain Kumar stated that these losses occurred during Operation Sindoor, when India conducted airstrikes on terror-related targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. He attributed the IAF’s vulnerability in the initial stages to political restrictions that barred strikes on Pakistani military infrastructure and air defences.

“Only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defences,” he said.

Following the setback, he explained, India revised its operational tactics by targeting Pakistan’s military installations and suppressing enemy air defences before using BrahMos missiles in later attacks.

The attaché’s revelations have sparked political backlash in India. Opposition leaders from the Congress Party, including Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, accused the ruling BJP government of hiding the truth about the military engagement. Ramesh questioned the government’s refusal to hold an all-party meeting or call a special session of Parliament, while Khera described the attaché’s comments as a “direct indictment” of the government’s handling of national security.

The Indian government has not yet formally responded to the attaché’s statement.