SOURCE: AFI
Air Forces Monthly, a prominent military aviation magazine published by Key Publishing Ltd in Stamford, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, has stirred controversy in its latest issue with claims by its editor, Alan Warnes, regarding the extent of damage sustained by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Operation Sindoor, conducted between May 7 and 10, 2025.
Warnes, a journalist with deep ties to the PAF since 2001 and author of two books on the force, reported that only one C-130 Hercules medium-lift tactical transport aircraft from the PAF’s 6 Air Transport Squadron was damaged in the IAF’s precision strikes on multiple PAF airbases. This claim, however, has been met with skepticism, as it appears to align with a broader PAF narrative to downplay significant losses, including the destruction of a Saab 2000 Erieye Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft and other assets, as reported by Indian sources and corroborated by independent analyses.
According to Air Forces Monthly, Warnes cites PAF sources confirming damage to a single C-130 Hercules at Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, struck during the IAF’s barrage of SCALP-EG and BrahMos-A cruise missiles targeting 11 of 13 major PAF airbases, including Sargodha, Kamra, Murid, Bholari, and others. The operation, launched in retaliation for a Pakistan-backed terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, which killed 26 civilians, saw the IAF deploy Rafale jets armed with SCALP-EG missiles and Su-30MKI fighters launching BrahMos-A supersonic missiles. Indian sources, including idrw.org, report that the strikes caused extensive damage, with satellite imagery from KawaSpace and Maxar Technologies confirming hits on critical infrastructure, such as hardened aircraft shelters, runways, and a hangar at Bholari airbase housing a Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C and at least three F-16A/B Block-15 fighters.
Warnes’ claim that only one C-130 was damaged has raised eyebrows, particularly given independent reports of far greater losses. French outlet L’Opinion and air warfare historian Tom Cooper, cited in posts on X, estimate PAF losses at “well over a dozen aircraft,” including a Mirage-5, two JF-17 Thunder jets, an F-16, and a Saab 2000 Erieye destroyed in a hangar at Bholari. Additionally, Indian defense sources claim a second Saab 2000 Erieye was shot down over Dinga by the IAF’s S-400 air defense system, a detail conspicuously absent from Warnes’ report. The PAF’s admission of only one C-130’s damage appears to be a deliberate attempt to minimize the operation’s impact, which crippled key bases and killed at least 52 personnel at Bholari alone, according to L’Opinion.
Warnes’ history of promoting PAF narratives has further fueled skepticism. In 2019, following the Balakot airstrike, Warnes claimed to have seen evidence provided by the PAF that a PAF F-16 pilot, identified as Hussain, shot down an IAF Su-30MKI during a dogfight. This claim was later debunked by PAF veterans, who confirmed the Su-30MKI returned safely to its base, and no evidence supported the PAF’s assertion. Warnes’ reliance on PAF sources, coupled with his long-standing relationship with the force, has led critics to accuse him of peddling biased narratives. His latest report, which omits significant losses like the Saab 2000 Erieye incidents and the destruction of Chinese-origin Wing Loong drones and Turkish Bayraktar TB2 UAVs at Murid, aligns with this pattern.
By focusing solely on the C-130, Warnes’ report appears to echo the PAF’s intent to project resilience despite overwhelming evidence of a strategic setback. The loss of high-value assets like the Saab 2000 Erieye, critical for PAF’s situational awareness, and the destruction at Bholari and other bases underscore the IAF’s technological and tactical superiority. As L’Opinion noted, India’s failure to effectively communicate its success allowed Pakistan to shape the narrative, a gap Warnes’ selective reporting may inadvertently or deliberately reinforce.
NOTE: AFI is a proud outsourced content creator partner of IDRW.ORG. All content created by AFI is the sole property of AFI and is protected by copyright. AFI takes copyright infringement seriously and will pursue all legal options available to protect its content.