Washington: The US government has declined to give specific answers regarding the status of Pakistan Air Force-operated F-16 fighter jets during ‘Operation Sindoor’. The US reportedly maintains continuous oversight of Pakistan’s F-16 fleet through Technical Support Teams (TSTs) — US contractors stationed in the country around the clock to monitor the use of the jets in line with end-use agreements signed by Islamabad and Washington. These agreements outline the conditions under which Pakistan can deploy the aircraft in combat and form the basis for ongoing US maintenance support.

According to an NDTV report, the US State Department said, “We refer you to the Government of Pakistan to discuss its F-16s.” The TSTs are contractually required to be aware of the location and operational status of all Pakistan-operated F-16s at all times.

The State Department’s stance contrasts with its position in 2019 after India’s air strikes on the Balakot terror camp, when two senior US defence officials told Foreign Policy magazine that their personnel had accounted for all of Pakistan’s F-16s and found none missing — countering India’s claim at the time of having shot down at least one PAF F-16.

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

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

Outlining the IAF’s ground targets, Bhadauria 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 downed six Pakistani aircraft during the operation. Pakistan, which has made counterclaims of shooting down Indian jets, has outright rejected the IAF Chief’s assertions.

With inputs from IANS