Overview

• The U.S. State Department referred questions about any Pakistan Air Force F-16 losses during May’s Operation Sindoor to the Government of Pakistan without confirming or denying them.
• Technical Support Teams of U.S. contractors maintain continuous, contract-mandated monitoring of Pakistan’s U.S.-built F-16 fleet under strict end-use agreements.
• The shift departs from a 2019 practice when U.S. officials counted Pakistan’s F-16s after the Balakot strikes and publicly reported no missing jets.
• Indian Air Force leaders assert that strikes on airfields at Jacobabad, Sukkur and Bholari damaged F-16 hangars and downed multiple jets, claims Pakistan rejects while challenging for independent verification.
• A Pentagon FOIA response clarified that agencies need not compile new information to answer direct queries, leaving the exact number of any F-16 losses unconfirmed.