A political controversy has ignited in India following allegations that the Indian Air Force (IAF) may have lost multiple Rafale fighter jets to Pakistani aircraft during recent aerial skirmishes. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Telangana’s Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies and a former IAF pilot, has publicly demanded full transparency from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government regarding the reported combat losses.
Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, Reddy acknowledged the safe return of IAF pilots but called for clarity on whether any Rafale jets were downed and urged the government to disclose Pakistan’s losses as well. He criticized the ruling BJP party for politicizing defence concerns by labelling opposition questions as unpatriotic.
Reddy also highlighted Modi’s silence on controversial statements by former US President Donald Trump, who prematurely spoke of an India-Pakistan ceasefire before official announcements.
The controversy follows remarks from India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan in a Bloomberg interview, who confirmed that the IAF suffered aircraft losses but did not specify numbers. He dismissed Pakistan’s claim of downing six Indian jets as “completely inaccurate” but refrained from providing detailed figures, emphasizing that tactical errors, rather than losses alone, were the key concern.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and military officials have claimed their air force shot down six Indian jets, including three Rafales, during intense aerial combat regarded as the largest in recent decades. Pakistani sources claim their fighters employed advanced Chinese-made PL-15 missiles, which reportedly outperformed India’s aircraft in some encounters.
While New Delhi has neither confirmed nor denied the full extent of losses, senior IAF officials hinted that losses are part of wartime realities. International intelligence, including French and US sources, have suggested that at least one Rafale was downed, fueling concerns over the aircraft’s combat performance.
French defence officials are currently liaising with India to verify the Rafale’s status, acknowledging the “fog of war” and ongoing information uncertainties. Dassault Aviation, maker of the Rafale, has seen its stock drop amid the controversy, while shares of China’s Chengdu Aircraft, manufacturer of Pakistan’s J-10C fighters, have surged.
Regional allies like Indonesia, soon to receive Rafale jets, are reportedly reassessing the platform’s battlefield effectiveness in light of these developments.
As the dispute unfolds, calls for transparency grow louder, challenging the official narrative on India’s aerial supremacy and raising questions about the future of the Rafale program.
