India’s S-400 Downs Pakistani Jets at Record 300km Range, Claims Air Chief

India’s S-400 Air Defense System Credited for Shooting Down Pakistani Jets, Claims Air Chief Indian Air Chief Marshal AP Singh has claimed that the Russian-made S-400 air defense system played a decisive role in downing Pakistani aircraft during the May 2025 clashes. Addressing the media on Saturday, Singh stated that most of the enemy planes were destroyed using the S-400, with five fighter jets and one large aircraft shot down in total. He further revealed that one Pakistani aircraft was intercepted from a record-breaking distance of 300 kilometers, calling it the longest-range ground-to-air engagement in history. However, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif strongly rejected the claims, insisting, “Not a single Pakistani aircraft was targeted or destroyed.” He reiterated Pakistan’s own counter-claims of shooting down Indian aircraft, including Rafales, and challenged India to release detailed aircraft inventories for independent verification. According to Singh, Pakistani fighter jets attempted to evade India’s air defense network but were unsuccessful. He praised the S-400 as a “game changer” for the Indian Air Force, noting that its long-range capabilities had kept Pakistani aircraft out of effective strike range.