US declines to confirm fate of Pakistan’s F-16s during Operation Sindoor, refers queries to Islamabad: Report

The US government has reportedly declined to provide specific answers regarding the fate of Pakistan Air Force-operated F-16 fighter jets during ‘Operation Sindoor’. 

The US State Department stated, “We refer you to the Government of Pakistan to discuss its F-16s,” according to NDTV.

The U.S. reportedly maintains continuous oversight of Pakistan’s F-16 fleet through US contractors known as Technical Support Teams (TSTs). These teams are deployed in Pakistan around the clock to monitor the use of US-built F-16s in accordance with detailed end-use agreements signed by Islamabad and Washington, says the NDTV report.

These agreements specify the conditions under which Pakistan may employ the jets in combat and form the foundation for ongoing US support in maintaining the fleet.

Consequently, these Technical Support Teams are contractually obligated to be fully aware of the status of all Pakistan-operated F-16s at all times.

The US State Department’s current response contrasts sharply with information provided by US government sources to Foreign Policy Magazine in 2019, following India’s air strikes on the Balakot terror camp, says NDTV report.

At that time, two senior US defence officials reportedly told Foreign Policy that US personnel had recently accounted for all of Islamabad’s F-16s and found none missing - a statement issued after India claimed to have shot down at least one Pakistan Air Force F-16.

India now believes Pakistan lost several F-16 jets during Operation Sindoor, either on the ground due to Indian Air Force (IAF) strikes or in aerial combat. Three months after the hostilities ended, IAF Chief Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Saturday confirmed, “Shahbaz Jacobabad airfield (was) one of the major airfields that was attacked. Here, there's an F-16 hangar.”

He added, “One half of the hangar is gone. And I’m sure there were some aircraft inside which have got damaged there.”

Detailing the IAF ground strikes, the Air Chief said, “Three hangars that we attacked: Sukkur - UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle] hangar, the Bholari hangar of the AEW&C [Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft] and Jacobabad - the F-16 hangar. We have an indication of at least one AEW&C in that AEW&C hangar and a few F-16s, which were under maintenance.” The IAF also claims to have shot down six Pakistani aircraft during the operation.

Pakistan, which has made its own claims regarding Indian jets being shot down during Operation Sindoor, rejected the IAF Chief’s statements.

Picture Courtesy: IANS