3 hours ago
Last Updated:May 15, 2025, 23:18 IST
Pakistan's Bholari airbase sustained damage consistent with a direct hit as confirmed by Indian defence officials as well as satellite images released by Maxar Technologies
A satellite image shows a view of a damaged structure at Pakistan's Bholari airbase following airstrikes on May 11. (Image: Maxar Technologies/Handout/REUTERS)
Pakistan lost “prized" AWACS aircraft in the Indian strikes under Operation Sindoor on the Bholari airbase, said a former Pakistan Air Force chief.
In an interview, retired Air Marshal Masood Akhtar said India took down an airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft during the missile strike carried out on 11 military installations on the intervening night of May 9 and 10.
The Bholari airbase, which is located near Karachi, sustained damage consistent with a direct hit as confirmed by Indian defence officials as well as satellite images released by Maxar Technologies.
“They (Indian armed forces) fired four back-to-back Brahmos missiles…the (Pakistani) pilots rushed to secure their aircraft, but the missiles kept on coming and, unfortunately, the fourth one hit the hangar at Bholari (airbase), where one of our AWACS was standing. It was damaged and casualties were also reported…" he said during the interview.
BREAKING- Ex PAF chief admits that Pak has lost a PAF Awacs in Bholari strike Biggest prized asset of PAF taken down in Op Sindoorpic.twitter.com/hTgV19F6aa
— Frontalforce 🇮🇳 (@FrontalForce) May 15, 2025
According to reports, the Bholari airbase is Pakistan’s newest, where it held a major aerial exercise called ‘Shaheen IX’ with China in 2020. It was inaugurated in December 2017 and is one of the country’s most modern main operational bases.
Apart from the AWACS aircraft, which are fitted with the Erieye radar system, it is home to squadrons of the JF-17 Thunder as well as F-16 Fighting Falcon. AWACS is a mobile, long-range radar surveillance and control centre, which play a critical role in Pakistan’s air defense network.
This loss is a significant blow to Pakistan’s air defence and its revelation comes as an awkward moment since the country’s armed forces have been claiming “minimal damage" in the Indian strikes.
On May 10, India targeted 11 military installations, including airbases in Nur Khan, Rafiqui, Murid, Sukkur, Sialkot, Pasrur, Chunian, Sargodha, Skardu, Bholari, and Jacobabad. Satellite images before and after the strike on Shahbaz airbase in Jacobabad and the Bholari airbase clearly show the scale of destruction.
The central government has said on the night of May 9 and 10, India’s counteroffensive became a historic milestone when, for the first time, a country successfully attacked the airbases of a nuclear-armed nation. This was also possible as India earlier deployed kamikaze drones with the objective of neutralising Pakistan’s air defence capabilities, including disabling Lahore’s air defence system, sources added.
Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies were also used in a recent report by The New York Times, which corroborated India’s claims of having targeted and damaged several military establishments in Pakistan.
Location :Islamabad, Pakistan
First Published:News world AWACS Aircraft Lost In Operation Sindoor Strikes On Bholari Airbase, Says Former Pakistan Air Force Chief
