Air Force Chief Marshal AP Singh in a stunning revelation emphasised that during Operation Sindoor, conducted in May 2025 as a retaliation to Pak's Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian Air Force destroyed 9-10 Pakistani fighter jets, including both US-supplied F-16s and Chinese co-produced JF-17 Thunders. This operation also targeted Pakistani air assets such as a C-130 transport and AEW&C aircraft.

Unlike the 2019 Balakot airstrikes where US denied any loss of Pakistani F-16s, this time Washington's lack of a firm denial of F-16 losses has fuelled speculation that Pakistan did lose jets, marking a difference in US diplomatic posture and perhaps tacit acknowledgment of Indian claims.

Operation Sindoor inflicted decisive damage on Pakistan’s air defence infrastructure, including hits on radar stations, command centres, aircraft hangars, runways, and Pakistan’s AEW&C aircraft. The Russian S-400 air defence system played a pivotal role for India, being highly effective in intercepting Pakistani fighter jets and early-warning planes.

While Pakistan strongly denied the scale of losses and claimed to have downed multiple Indian jets, Indian officials and international analysts assert that Pakistan’s air power took a severe hit, especially emphasizing the attrition of JF-17 Thunder jets in aerial combat.

The F-16 losses were reportedly mostly on the ground during maintenance or sheltering in hangars, which spared the fighter from direct combat losses but accelerated the accelerated retirement timeline for these aging platforms, which are around 25-30 years old. This contrasts sharply with the JF-17s, which were actively engaged and destroyed in aerial engagements.

The JF-17 Thunder, co-developed by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, was envisioned as a cost-effective, modern multirole fighter featuring AESA radar, advanced avionics, fly-by-wire controls, and Mach 1.6 speed at a fraction of Western fighter costs.

Despite its touted capabilities and export ambitions with over 150 units in service and plans to export 300 more by 2030, the JF-17s suffered direct shootdowns by the IAF's S-400 interceptors, undermining confidence in its performance. This makes the JF-17 the true “loser” of the aerial skirmish compared to F-16s which were passive casualties.

This loss is significant for Pakistan and China, especially as Pakistan relies heavily on Chinese arms (approximately 63% of Chinese exports) and counts the JF-17 as a flagship price-competitive fighter for sale in emerging markets like Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Nigeria.

Countries that opted for other platforms, such as Argentina’s second-hand F-16s or Malaysia’s Korean FA-50s, may see validation of their decisions given the JF-17’s poor combat record during Operation Sindoor.

The Indian retention and deployment of cutting-edge Russian S-400 air defence proved superior to Pakistan’s Chinese HQ-9P missile systems and JF-17 fighters in this intense confrontation, highlighting limitations in Pakistan’s and China’s integrated air defence and combat jet performance when facing modern threats.

While the F-16 remains a battle-hardened veteran jet with decades of global operational history, the losses during Operation Sindoor mainly restricted to infrastructure damage and ground losses somewhat mitigate its combat reputation fallout compared to the JF-17’s aerial defeats.

For Pakistan and China, the JF-17’s substantial losses will require revisiting its combat design, radar, missile integration, and electronic warfare capabilities. Restoring the jet’s credibility in export markets will be a formidable challenge given its visible setbacks against a high-end air defence system like India’s S-400.

Operation Sindoor vividly demonstrated the JF-17 Thunder’s vulnerability in active aerial combat versus India’s advanced air defences, marking it as the single largest loser in this conflict, while the aging F-16s suffered predominantly ground losses without the same level of aerial defeat, which somewhat cushions their operational image for Pakistan amid this conflict.

IDN (With Agency Inputs)