By Shivam Patel
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during clashes in May, India’s air force chief said on Saturday, the first such statement by the country months after its worst military conflict in decades with its neighbour.
Most of the Pakistani aircraft were downed by India’s Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system, Indian Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh said at an event in the southern city of Bengaluru. He cited electronic tracking data as confirmation of the strikes.
“We have at least five fighters confirmed killed, and one large aircraft,” he said, adding that the large aircraft, which could be a surveillance plane, was shot down at a distance of 300 km (186 miles).
“This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill,” he said, prompting applause from the crowd that included serving air force officers, veterans, and government and industry officials.
Pakistan’s military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Singh did not mention the type of fighter jets that were downed, but said that airstrikes also hit an additional surveillance plane and “a few F16” fighters that were parked in hangars at two air bases in southeastern Pakistan.
Islamabad, whose air force primarily operates Chinese-made jets and U.S. F-16s, has previously denied that India downed any Pakistani aircraft during the May 7-10 fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Pakistan has claimed that it shot down six Indian aircraft during the clashes, including a French-made Rafale fighter. India has acknowledged some losses but denied losing six aircraft.
France’s air chief, General Jerome Bellanger, has previously said that he has seen evidence of the loss of three Indian fighters, including a Rafale. Indian Air Force has not commented on the claims.
(Reporting by Shivam Patel. Writing by Mayank Bhardwaj. Editing by Himani Sarkar and Mark Potter)
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