India on Monday displayed what it called the wreckage of a Pakistani Mirage fighter jet, destroyed during Operation Sindoor. The debris was shown in a one-minute 26-second video titled “Destroy the Enemy in the Sky,” shared on social media by the Indian Army. A still from the footage, displayed before a high-level press briefing, bore the caption: “The Pakistani Mirage… Shattered.”
This marked the first time India publicly showed visual evidence of a downed Pakistani aircraft from the recent military conflict.
“Our battle-proven systems stood the test of time and take them head-on,” he said. “Another highlight has been the stellar performance of the indigenous air defence system, the Akash system. Putting together and operationalising the potent AD environment has been possible only because of budgetary and policy support from the government of India in the last decade.”
He also emphasised that Pakistan’s missile, drone, and aircraft strikes were mostly thwarted by the Indian Integrated Air Command and Control System and surface-to-air missile systems like Akash.
Air Marshal Bharti said, “As you can see, we have targeted the length and breadth of the adversary. I'm sure most of you would have already seen the effect of these strikes on the ground, courtesy of a large number of videos and photographs being circulated in the media.”
Among the sites shown were Rahim Yar Khan Airbase and the newly built Kanir base.
“In fact, two of them, this is a strike on the new Kanir base. And you can see the fact, I'm sure most of you have seen the video, I've also picked it up from your sources only. And this is the aftermath of our strike at Rahim Yar Khan Airbase. You can see the massive crater that it has left on its runway. And you can see the pinpoint accuracy of our weapons,” he added.
According to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Indian forces targeted nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He said over 100 terrorists were killed in the strikes, which lasted just 25 minutes.
Cities such as Amritsar, Jaisalmer, and Pathankot witnessed air raid sirens and emergency blackouts. However, Indian air defence systems intercepted most incoming threats.
Air Marshal Bharti noted, “Numerous waves of drones and unmanned combat aerial vehicles employed by Pakistan were also thwarted by the indigenously developed soft and hard kill counter-UAS systems and the well-trained Indian Air Defence personnel.”
India then launched counter-strikes on several Pakistani military bases including Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Sukkur, and Chunian. Radar sites at Sialkot and Pasrur were also targeted using precision-guided munitions.
After intense hostilities, both nations agreed to a ceasefire on the evening of 11 May. According to Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, Director General of Military Operations, Indian forces achieved their objectives and inflicted heavy damage.
“35–40 Pakistani military personnel were killed in the combat,” he said.
The night that followed the ceasefire was the first without shelling or gunfire in 19 days.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the nation at 8 pm today. This will be his first public statement since the launch of Operation Sindoor.
As of now, Pakistan has not officially acknowledged any damage to its Mirage fleet or responded to India's claims.
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Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General of Air Operations, confirmed the Mirage was taken down by India’s indigenously built air defence systems.“Our battle-proven systems stood the test of time and take them head-on,” he said. “Another highlight has been the stellar performance of the indigenous air defence system, the Akash system. Putting together and operationalising the potent AD environment has been possible only because of budgetary and policy support from the government of India in the last decade.”
He also emphasised that Pakistan’s missile, drone, and aircraft strikes were mostly thwarted by the Indian Integrated Air Command and Control System and surface-to-air missile systems like Akash.
Visuals of damaged Pakistani airbases
At the briefing, the Indian Air Force presented satellite imagery and videos of damage inflicted on multiple Pakistani military installations.Air Marshal Bharti said, “As you can see, we have targeted the length and breadth of the adversary. I'm sure most of you would have already seen the effect of these strikes on the ground, courtesy of a large number of videos and photographs being circulated in the media.”
Among the sites shown were Rahim Yar Khan Airbase and the newly built Kanir base.
“In fact, two of them, this is a strike on the new Kanir base. And you can see the fact, I'm sure most of you have seen the video, I've also picked it up from your sources only. And this is the aftermath of our strike at Rahim Yar Khan Airbase. You can see the massive crater that it has left on its runway. And you can see the pinpoint accuracy of our weapons,” he added.
What was Operation Sindoor?
Operation Sindoor was launched in the early hours of 7 May in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April, which left 26 dead. The Indian government linked the attack to Lashkar-e-Taiba, believed to be backed by Pakistan’s military establishment.According to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Indian forces targeted nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He said over 100 terrorists were killed in the strikes, which lasted just 25 minutes.
Pakistan’s retaliation and India’s response
Following the Indian strikes, Pakistan launched a wave of retaliatory attacks. These included drones and missiles aimed at Indian military sites and border towns in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, and Rajasthan.Cities such as Amritsar, Jaisalmer, and Pathankot witnessed air raid sirens and emergency blackouts. However, Indian air defence systems intercepted most incoming threats.
Air Marshal Bharti noted, “Numerous waves of drones and unmanned combat aerial vehicles employed by Pakistan were also thwarted by the indigenously developed soft and hard kill counter-UAS systems and the well-trained Indian Air Defence personnel.”
India then launched counter-strikes on several Pakistani military bases including Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Sukkur, and Chunian. Radar sites at Sialkot and Pasrur were also targeted using precision-guided munitions.
After intense hostilities, both nations agreed to a ceasefire on the evening of 11 May. According to Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, Director General of Military Operations, Indian forces achieved their objectives and inflicted heavy damage.
“35–40 Pakistani military personnel were killed in the combat,” he said.
The night that followed the ceasefire was the first without shelling or gunfire in 19 days.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the nation at 8 pm today. This will be his first public statement since the launch of Operation Sindoor.
As of now, Pakistan has not officially acknowledged any damage to its Mirage fleet or responded to India's claims.
