2019 Jammu and Kashmir airstrikes

2019 Jammu and Kashmir airstrikes
Part of the 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes
Date27 February 2019; 5 years ago (2019-02-27)
Location
Jammu and Kashmir, India
33°23′N 74°18′E / 33.38°N 74.3°E / 33.38; 74.3
Belligerents

 Pakistan

 India

Commanders and leaders

Arif Alvi
(President)
Imran Khan
(Prime Minister)
Qamar Javed Bajwa
(Chief of Army Staff)

Pakistan Mujahid Anwar Khan
(Chief of Air Staff)

India Ram Nath Kovind
(President)
India Narendra Modi
(Prime Minister)
Bipin Rawat
(Chief of Army Staff)

Birender Singh Dhanoa
(Chief of Air Staff)
Units involved
  • No. 51 Squadron IAF
  • No. 154 Helicopter Unit, IAF
    • Strength
    Strike aircraft[1][2]

    2 Dassault Mirage-IIIDA
    2 Dassault Mirage-VPA armed with H-4 SOW
    2 JF-17 Thunders armed with Mk. 83 REKs

    Escort & EW support[1][2]
    Unspecified number of F-16 & JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft, Falcon DA-20 EW/ECM/ESM and Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C aircraft

    Unknown number of MiG-21, Su-30MKI and Mirage 2000 jets[3]

    Air defense system on ground
    Casualties and losses
    Neutral Assessment:
    No aircraft lost[4][5][6]
    Indian claim:
    1 F-16 shot down
    Pakistani claim:
    No PAF aircraft shot down    		 Neutral Assessment:
    1 MiG-21 shot down, pilot (Abhinandan Varthaman) captured.[4][5][6]
    Pakistani claim:
    1 MiG-21 shot down, pilot (Abhinandan Varthaman) captured and 1 Su-30MKI shot down.[1][3]
    Indian claim:
    1 MiG-21 shot down, pilot (Abhinandan Varthaman) captured, No Su-30MKI got shot down[7]
    Friendly fire:
    1 Mil Mi-17 shot down, 6 Indian Air Force personnel including Squadron leaders Siddharth Vashisht and Ninad Mandavgan and 1 civilian killed[8][9][10]

    On 27 February 2019, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) conducted six airstrikes at multiple locations in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).[11][12] The airstrikes were part of the PAF military operation codenamed Operation Swift Retort and were conducted in retaliation to the Indian Air Force (IAF) airstrike in Balakot just a day before on 26 February.[13][14][15]

    It was the first time since 1971 that both countries' airforces had conducted airstrikes on each other's territory across the Line of Control (LoC). India conducted an airstrike in Balakot on 26 February while Pakistan responded by conducting airstrikes in Indian-administered Kashmir. Following Pakistan's airstrikes, Indian Air Force (IAF) jets started pursuing Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jets. In the resulting dogfight, Pakistan claimed to have shot down two Indian jets and captured one Indian pilot, Abhinandan Varthaman.[16] Indian officials acknowledged that one IAF jet was lost. One IAF Mil Mi-17 helicopter was also lost due to a friendly fire incident in which six IAF personnel were killed including two squadron leaders, namely, Siddarth Vashista and Ninad Mandavgane.[8][17][18][19] Indian officials also claimed to have shot down a PAF F-16 jet.[20] Pakistan rejected the Indian claim and said that the PAF did not suffer any losses in the dogfight. US count of PAF F-16 fleet found no F-16 was lost during PAF engagement with IAF.[21][22][23][24]

    1. ^ a b c Kaiser Tufail (18 February 2021). "Pulwama: Two years on". PakistanPolitico.com.
    2. ^ a b Kaiser Tufail (10 July 2019). "Pulwama-From bluster to whimper". DefenceJournal.com.
    3. ^ a b "We didn't lose any Su-30 jet; Pakistan's claims false: Defence Ministry". The New Indian Express. 5 March 2019. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
    4. ^ a b SAIKAT DATTA; KUNWAR KHULDUNE SHAHID (5 March 2019). "No proof India shot down Pakistan F-16". Asia Times.
    5. ^ a b "U.S. count shows no Pakistan F-16s shot down in Indian battle: report". Reuters. 5 April 2019.
    6. ^ a b Chander Suta Dogra (15 December 2019). "IAF Did Not Shoot Down Pak F-16 in Balakot Aftermath, Says US Scholar Christine Fair". The Wire (India).
    7. ^ Philip, Snehesh Alex (5 March 2019). "Indian Air Force dismisses Pakistani claims of shooting down a Sukhoi Su-30MKI". ThePrint. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
    8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ff1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
    9. ^ Cite error: The named reference telegraphIndia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
    10. ^ Kumar, Ashok (25 May 2019). "Budgam helicopter crash: Feel cheated, says family of the sergeant on board Mi-17". The Hindu.
    11. ^ "Pakistani jets crossed LoC to undertake strikes in India : Pakistan Foreign Office". Business Line. Chennai. 27 February 2019.
    12. ^ "India summons Pakistan envoy over violation of airspace". The Times of India. 28 February 2019. Pakistan claimed its fighters "locked on" to six Indian military targets, ranging from the brigade headquarters at Bhimber Gali to an ammunition dump at Narian, to demonstrate its "capability and resolve" but chose to drop bombs in open spaces to avoid any casualties.
    13. ^ Som, Vishnu. "3 Terror Camps in PoK Destroyed, 6-10 Pak Soldiers Killed: Army Chief". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
    14. ^ Siddiqui, Naveed (1 May 2019). "PAF response to Indian aggression will be remembered as Operation Swift Retort: air chief". Dawn. Pakistan. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
    15. ^ "'Operation Swift Retort': PAF's response to Indian aggression". Dunya News. 1 May 2019.
    16. ^ "JF-17, not F-16 used to down Indian aircraft, says ISPR DG". Pakistan Today (newspaper). 25 March 2019. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
    17. ^ Philip, Snehesh Alex (11 April 2023). "Military Court orders dismissal of IAF officer for shooting down own chopper after 2019 Balakot strike". ThePrint. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
    18. ^ "IAF officer Squadron Leader Siddharth Vashisht cremated with full military honours". The Indian Express. 2 March 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
    19. ^ "Republic Day 2020: Bravery Medals For Air Force Pilots Of Chopper Shot Down In Friendly Fire". NDTV.com. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
    20. ^ "Abhinandan: Who is the Indian pilot captured by Pakistan?". BBC News. 1 March 2019.
    21. ^ Seligman, Lara (28 February 2024). "Did India Shoot Down a Pakistani Jet? U.S. Count Says No". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
    22. ^ "US Count Found No Pak F-16s Missing, Contradicts India's Claim: Report". NDTV.com. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
    23. ^ "India Didn't Shoot Down Pakistan's F-16, U.S. Magazine Says". Bloomberg News. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
    24. ^ "India Never Actually Shot Down Pakistani F-16 in Kashmir Clash, New Report Says". TIME. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2024.