How many Rafale fighter jets were shot down during Operation Sindoor? Chief Minister of THIS state asks, and govt says...

In what may be called an embarrassing moment for the Union government, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has asked it to come clean on how many Rafale fighter jets were shot down during Operation Sindoor. Speaking at a public rally in the capital Hyderabad, he gave the justification for asking this uncomfortable question. He asked, "The soldiers of this (Secunderabad) Cantonment participated in the war. The warplanes being manufactured in Telangana upheld respect for our country." He added, "Rafale aircraft brought by Narendra Modi were shot down by Pakistan. There is no discussion on how many Rafales were shot down. Narendra Modi should answer how many Rafale aircraft were shot down by Pakistan during the recent war. You give us the account."

(Air Marshal AK Bharti, DGAO, at a press conference in New Delhi)

What did IAF say on loss of Rafale?

This is a vexed, but oft-repeated question. The Indian Air Force has officially neither confirmed nor denied any Rafale losses in the combat. When asked this question at a press conference on May 11, Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General of Air Operations (DGAO), said that "losses are a part of any combat scenario". He said, "We are in a combat scenario and losses are a part of it. Question is have we achieved our objective? Answer is a thumping yes." He said further, "As for details, at this time I would not like to comment on that as we are still in combat and give advantage to the adversary. All our pilots are back home."

Reports: France contacts India

If media reports are to be believed, France’s Ministry of Defence, has meanwhile said that it is in contact with the Indian government to "better understand" the circumstances surrounding Dassault Aviation-manufactured aircraft during the recent hostilities with Pakistan. 

(PM Narendra Modi with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris)

According to 'The Wire', a French Defence Ministry spokesperson said, "The issue of the Rafale is, of course, of primary importance to us. We are naturally keen to understand what happened, and so we are trying to stay as close as possible to our Indian partner to understand the situation better." He also said that the "Rafale has been in operational use for 20 years of combat deployment and that if it turns out there was indeed a loss, it would be the first combat loss of this warplane." 

While Pakistan has claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale fighters, the Indian government has not said anything clearly. It has not commented on international media reports suggesting that an Indian aircraft may have been shot down or crashed during the strikes carried out on the night of May 6-7 during Operation Sindoor.