THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
In May 2025, India and Pakistan fought an intense 88-hour air battle called Operation Sindoor. After the fighting ended, both Pakistan and even U.S. President Trump made bold claims about how many Indian fighter jets were shot down. Now, a detailed study from Switzerland has shown that these claims were greatly exaggerated.
What Pakistan and Trump Claimed
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that his air force had shot down seven Indian fighter jets. He specifically claimed that several of these were India’s advanced French-made Rafale aircraft. President Trump backed up Pakistan’s version of events, saying he believed five Indian jets had been destroyed in the air.
These claims painted a picture of Pakistan dominating the skies and India suffering massive losses. Pakistan used this narrative to claim victory and boost national morale.
What the Swiss Study Actually Found
The Centre for Military History and Perspective Studies in Switzerland conducted an independent investigation into what really happened. Their findings tell a very different story.
According to the Swiss researchers, India lost only three aircraft during the entire conflict—not seven as Pakistan claimed. Even more important, not all of these were the Rafale jets that Pakistan bragged about destroying. The evidence showed India lost one Rafale, one Sukhoi, and one Mirage 2000 aircraft. This matches what a U.S. Congressional report also concluded.
The Bigger Picture
While Pakistan celebrated supposed victories, the Swiss study revealed what actually mattered in the conflict. Despite losing some aircraft early in the battle, India’s Air Force achieved something far more important—it gained complete control of Pakistani airspace.
By the end of the 88-hour conflict, Indian jets could fly deep into Pakistan and strike targets at will. Pakistan’s air defenses had been badly damaged. Their radar systems were either destroyed or turned off to avoid being hit. Indian missiles struck Pakistani air bases up to 200 kilometres inside their territory.
Pakistan’s Air Force, meanwhile, had lost its ability to fight back effectively. The Swiss study found that Pakistan was so overwhelmed that it had to ask for a ceasefire by May 10th.
The Mysterious Case of Pakistan’s F-16s
There’s another puzzling piece to this story that raises questions about what the U.S. might be hiding. India claims it destroyed several Pakistani F-16 fighter jets—American-made aircraft that the U.S. had supplied to Pakistan. According to Indian reports, at least four or five F-16s were destroyed when missiles hit a maintenance hangar at Jacobabad air base. India also claims it shot down F-16s in air combat.
When journalists asked the U.S. State Department directly whether Pakistan had lost F-16s during Operation Sindoor, American officials refused to answer. They simply referred the question back to Pakistan. This silence is strange. Indian defense analysts have noted that no American expert has publicly denied that F-16s were lost to India’s Russian-made S-400 air defense system.
Even more curious, shortly after the conflict ended, the U.S. approved a $686 million package to help sustain Pakistan’s F-16 fleet. Some analysts see this as possible compensation for losses that the U.S. doesn’t want to publicly acknowledge.
While there’s no evidence that American pilots or U.S.-operated aircraft were involved in the fighting, the U.S. government may have reasons to downplay Pakistani F-16 losses. Admitting that American weapons systems were destroyed in large numbers would be embarrassing and could hurt future arms sales.
Why This Matters
The Swiss study is important because it comes from neutral experts with no stake in the conflict. Unlike claims made during wartime by the countries involved, this analysis looked at the evidence carefully.
The study shows that Pakistan inflated its success by more than double the actual number of Indian aircraft lost. Trump’s statement, while lower than Pakistan’s claim, was still significantly higher than what independent evidence supported.
The U.S. refusal to discuss F-16 losses adds another layer of deception to the story. It suggests that American officials may be protecting Pakistan—and America’s own reputation as a weapons supplier—by staying silent about the true extent of Pakistani losses.
In modern warfare, both sides often exaggerate enemy losses and downplay their own. But the Swiss researchers cut through the propaganda to reveal what really happened. India may have lost some aircraft, but it won the air war decisively—so decisively that Pakistan had to stop fighting and seek peace.
The lesson is clear: wartime claims should always be viewed with skepticism until independent experts can verify what actually occurred. In this case, the truth was very different from what Pakistan and Trump told the world.
References
1.https://theprint.in/defence/iaf-achieved-air-superiority-in-op-sindoor-forced-pakistan-to-seek-ceasefire-swiss-think-tank/2836182/
2.https://primerogueinc.com/blog/comparative-assessment-of-the-indian-air-force-and-pakistani-air-force-may-2025/
3.https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india-pakistan-news/india-downed-five-f-16-jf-17-pakistani-jets-in-may-conflict-says-iaf-chief/
4.https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/operation-sindoor-latest-news-updates-indian-air-force-pakistani-air-force-iaf-paf-air-strike-pok-punjab-muridke-bahawalpur-475219-2025-05-08
5.https://www.eurasiantimes.com/india-lost-3-fighter-jets-during-op-sindoor/?amp
6.https://youtu.be/Q93iyhyQMXc?si=MVXKv-uIb9zOb-Ro
