The United States government has declined to directly answer queries regarding whether Pakistan lost any of its F-16 fighter jets during Operation Sindoor, a fierce 88-hour battle between India and Pakistan held from May 7 to May 10, 2025, reported NDTV.

When asked by NDTV, the US State Department referred the question back to the Government of Pakistan, stating, “We refer you to the Government of Pakistan to discuss its F-16s.” ‘Ask Pakistan’ is the succinct message the US conveyed to NDTV.

This refusal to comment comes despite the fact that US contractors, known as Technical Support Teams (TSTs), are stationed in Pakistan around the clock precisely to monitor and track the use and status of Pakistan’s US-built F-16s.

These teams operate under detailed end-use agreements between Washington and Islamabad, which specify the conditions under which Pakistan may employ these fighter jets in combat and underpin the continued US support for maintaining the Pakistani F-16 fleet. Consequently, TSTs are contractually obliged to be fully aware of the operational status and location of every Pakistani F-16 at all times.

This US stance contrasts with an earlier account from 2019, after India’s air strikes on the Balakot terror facility. At that time, according to two senior US defence officials quoted by Foreign Policy Magazine, the US conducted a physical count of Pakistan’s F-16s and found none missing, contradicting Indian claims that a Pakistani F-16 had been shot down in aerial combat.

The US indicated in 2019 that if Pakistan used F-16s defensively in response to Indian incursions, that did not breach the end-use agreement, but offensive use would constitute a violation.

Currently, Indian military assessments suggest Pakistan lost several F-16s during Operation Sindoor, either destroyed on the ground by Indian Air Force (IAF) strikes or shot down in air combat. Notably, Indian Air Chief Marshal AP Singh stated that the Jacobabad airfield, one of the primary targets, had an F-16 hangar that was partially destroyed during the strikes.

He indicated there were F-16s undergoing maintenance inside that hangar, likely damaged or destroyed. The IAF also claims to have shot down six Pakistani aircraft during the operation, including at least five fighter jets and one potentially large reconnaissance or electronic intelligence aircraft.

In response to Indian claims and the US silence, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif challenged India to open the inventories of aircraft losses for independent verification, implying that India’s claims were false or exaggerated.

The US Department of Defence has, in past Freedom of Information Act responses, refused to compile or release information about Pakistani F-16 losses, citing that they are not obligated to answer such specific operational questions. Similarly, inquiries to the Pentagon and the office of the US Secretary of Defence for Public Affairs on this issue have gone unanswered.

The US maintains continuous oversight of Pakistan’s F-16s through on-ground contractor teams mandated by end-use agreements, it has declined to confirm or deny specific losses of Pakistani F-16s during Operation Sindoor and has redirected queries to the Pakistani government.

This position contrasts with Indian military claims of losses inflicted on the Pakistani air force during the intense hostilities, underscoring the ongoing opacity and contested narratives regarding the battle’s aerial toll.

Based On NDTV Report