AWACS Aircraft Lost In Operation Sindoor Strikes On Bholari Airbase, Says Former Pakistan Air Force Chief

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Last Updated:May 15, 2025, 23:21 IST

Pakistan's Bholari airbase sustained harm accordant with a nonstop deed arsenic confirmed by Indian defence officials arsenic good arsenic outer images released by Maxar Technologies

A outer representation shows a presumption of a damaged operation astatine Pakistan's Bholari airbase pursuing airstrikes connected May 11. (Image: Maxar Technologies/Handout/REUTERS)

Pakistan mislaid “prized" AWACS craft successful the Indian strikes nether Operation Sindoor connected the Bholari airbase, said a erstwhile Pakistan Air Force chief.

In an interview, retired Air Marshal Masood Akhtar said India took down an airborne informing and power strategy (AWACS) craft during the missile strike carried retired connected 11 subject installations connected the intervening nighttime of May 9 and 10.

The Bholari airbase, which is located adjacent Karachi, sustained harm accordant with a nonstop deed arsenic confirmed by Indian defence officials arsenic good arsenic outer images released by Maxar Technologies.

“They (Indian equipped forces) fired 4 back-to-back Brahmos missiles…the (Pakistani) pilots rushed to unafraid their aircraft, but the missiles kept connected coming and, unfortunately, the 4th 1 deed the hangar astatine Bholari (airbase), wherever 1 of our AWACS was standing. It was damaged and casualties were besides reported…" helium said during the interview.

According to reports, the Bholari airbase is Pakistan’s newest, wherever it held a large aerial workout called ‘Shaheen IX’ with China successful 2020. It was inaugurated successful December 2017 and is 1 of the country’s astir modern main operational bases.

Apart from the AWACS aircraft, which are fitted with the Erieye radar system, it is location to squadrons of the JF-17 Thunder arsenic good arsenic F-16 Fighting Falcon. AWACS is simply a mobile, long-range radar surveillance and power centre, which play a captious relation successful Pakistan’s aerial defence network.

This nonaccomplishment is simply a important stroke to Pakistan’s aerial defence and its revelation comes arsenic an awkward infinitesimal since the country’s equipped forces person been claiming “minimal damage" successful the Indian strikes.

On May 10, India targeted 11 subject installations, including airbases successful Nur Khan, Rafiqui, Murid, Sukkur, Sialkot, Pasrur, Chunian, Sargodha, Skardu, Bholari, and Jacobabad. Satellite images earlier and aft the onslaught connected Shahbaz airbase successful Jacobabad and the Bholari airbase intelligibly amusement the standard of destruction.

The cardinal authorities has said connected the nighttime of May 9 and 10, India’s counteroffensive became a historical milestone when, for the archetypal time, a state successfully attacked the airbases of a nuclear-armed nation. This was besides imaginable arsenic India earlier deployed kamikaze drones with the nonsubjective of neutralising Pakistan’s aerial defence capabilities, including disabling Lahore’s aerial defence system, sources added.

Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies were besides utilized successful a caller study by The New York Times, which corroborated India’s claims of having targeted and damaged respective subject establishments successful Pakistan.

Location :

Islamabad, Pakistan

First Published:

News world AWACS Aircraft Lost In Operation Sindoor Strikes On Bholari Airbase, Says Former Pakistan Air Force Chief