The Indian Air Force fought on two fronts during the 1971 War. Employing nearly 600 Combat aircraft ranging from New MiG-21 and Sukhoi-7s to the Vintage Harvards and Vampires, the IAF flew nearly 7500 Sorties during the duration of the war. The Following is the list of Losses compiled by us through Various Sources published ever since. You will come up with some startling figures when you go through them, like finding out that 23 aircraft were lost in a matter of two days on both the fronts, or the High number of Hunter Losses. A surprising trend is the increase in attrition of the Canberra . The Losses are given first for the Eastern Sector and then for the Western Sector. Some of the Articles in the 71 War Section give details of the losses. The Figures given below were intially estimated as 61, However have been revised to 75 after the release of the Times of India’s Official History of the 1971 War. For the sake of completeness, I have included figures of Army and Naval Aircraft losses also.
A Typewise Breakup is given as follows:
Figures in parenthesis are operational accidents.
TYPE | EAST | WEST | TOTAL |
MiG-21 | 2 | 6 (2) | 8 |
Sukhoi -7 | 1 | 18(1) | 19 |
Hunter | 12 (3) | 11(2) | 23 |
Canberra | 1 | 4 (1) | 5 |
Gnat | – | 3 (2) | 3 |
Mystere IVa | – | 5 (2) | 5 |
HF-24 | – | 4 | 4 |
Vampire | – | 1 | 1 |
Alize (Navy) | – | 1 | 1 |
Dakota | 1 (1) | – | 1 |
AOP (Army) | – | 1 | 1 |
Helicopters | 2 (2) | 2 (1) | 4 |
TOTAL | 19 (6) | 56 (11) | 75 (17) |
The Following Table gives us the causes to which the aircraft were lost. 50% can clearly be attributed to Ground Fire, in form of AAA Artillery and Small Arms fire. 30 % to Air Combat defences of the PAF. 2 % to PAF Air Raids and Accidents accounted for a massive 22%.
Type of Loss | East | West | Total | % age |
Anti Aircraft /Ground Fire | 10 | 26 | 36 | 48 % |
Air to Air Combat | 3 | 15 | 18 | 30 % |
Destroyed on Ground | – | 2 | 2 | 2 % |
Undetermined (Possible AAC) | – | 2 | 2 | 1 % |
Accidents. | 6 | 11 | 17 | 22 % |
TOTAL | 19 | 56 | 75 |
DETAILS OF AIRCRAFT LOSSES IN THE EASTERN AND WESTERN SECTORS 1971.
Note: Rows in Grey background are Operational Accidents.
EASTERN SECTOR | |||||||
Date |
Aircraft |
Sqn |
Name of the Pilot |
S.No | Location |
Rem |
Fate |
04-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
221 |
Sqn Ldr V. Bhutani |
. | Tejgaon |
SD AAA Fire. Ejected, |
POW * |
04-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
37 |
Sqn Ldr S B Samanta |
BA252 | Tejgaon | SD AAA Fire or F-86 |
killed |
04-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
37 |
Fg Off S G Khonde |
BA266 | Tejgaon | SD AAA Fire ? |
killed |
04-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
14 |
Sqn Ldr K D Mehra |
. | Tejgaon |
SD F-86 0800 Hrs |
Eject |
04-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
14 |
Flt Lt K C Tremenhere |
. | Tejgaon |
SD F-86 (Sqn Ldr Dilawar) |
POW * |
04-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
7 |
Flt Lt A R Da Costa |
BA295 | Lal Munir Hat |
SD AAA Cr in Indian Territory |
killed |
04-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
7 |
Sqn Ldr S K Gupta |
BA287 | BaghdograAFB | Dam AAA Fire Ejected at base |
Eject |
06-Dec-71 |
MiG-21 |
4 |
Sqn Ldr Rao |
. | Gauhati |
AAA Fire – Ran out of fuel |
Eject |
07-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
– |
– |
. | Dum Dum AFB | Dam AAA Fire Ejected at base |
Eject |
10-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
14 |
Sqn Ldr R C Sachdeva |
BA275 | Hilli Region | SD AAA |
killed |
10-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
– |
– |
. | Lal Munir Hat | SD AAA Pt Rescued in EP |
Eject |
10-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
– |
– |
. | CoochBiharAF | Dest in Crash Landing |
Safe |
11-Dec-71 |
Mil Mi-4 |
– |
– | . | Aijal | Onboard fire Aijal from Agartala | Safe |
12-Dec-71 |
MiG-21 |
28 |
Sqn Ldr P.S.Gill |
. | Agartala |
SD AAA Ejected at EP |
Eject |
12-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
– |
– |
. | HashimaraAFB | Crashed after TO |
Safe |
12-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
14 |
– |
. | JessoreAFB | Dest in Crash Landing |
Safe |
15-Dec-71 |
Canberra |
16 |
Fg Off B R E Wilson(Pt) | . | Tejgaon | SD AAA Flt Lt R B Mehta (Nav) | killed |
15-Dec-71 |
Mil Mi-4 |
– |
– | . | Agartala | Trasmission Failure Cr Agartala | Safe |
17-Dec-71 |
Dakota |
43 |
Flt Lt J D’Souza + Five | BJ662 | Mechuka | Accident | killed |
Grand losses | 19 Known Losses (6 Operational Accidents) | ||||||
Unattributed Pilots: Hunter (5 ) : Flt Lt L H Dixon (Date Reason Not Known) Mi-4 (2 ) : None Available |
WESTERN SECTOR |
|||||||
Date | Aircraft |
Sqn |
Name of the Aircrew | S.No | Location | Remarks | Fate |
04-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
101 |
Flt Lt J Rishi | B 899 | AdampurAFB | Tyreburst on TO. Crashed | killed |
04-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
222 |
Flt Lt H V Singh | B 849 | Risalawala | SD F-6 (Flt Lt Latif) | killed |
04-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
222 |
Flt Lt P N Saksena | . | – | AAA fire Counter Air Mission | Eject |
04-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
101 |
Flt Lt Gurdip Singh | . | Chamb | AAA Dam Ejected Tac Supp | Eject |
04-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
108 |
Flt Lt D R Natu | B 854 | Indian terr | AAA Dam Ejected Pt safe | Eject |
04-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
32 |
Flt Lt M S Grewal | . | Shorkot AFB | SD AAA 1400 Hrs | POW |
04-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
– |
– | – | – | AAA Fire CrL at BAse | ? |
04-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
27 |
Fg Off V Chati | A 479 | Mianwali | SD F-6 (Fg Off Qazi Javed) | POW |
04-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
20 |
Flt Lt K P Muralidharan | A 462 | N Peshawar | SD F-86 (F/O S B Mirza) | killed |
04-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
27 |
Fg Off S Tyagi | A 490 | Murid AFB | SD F-86 (F/Lt Mujahid ) | killed |
04-Dec-71 |
HF-24 |
220 |
Flt Lt P V Apte | D1193 | Nayachor | SD AAA | killed |
04-Dec-71 |
HF-24 |
220 |
Flt Lt J L Bhargava | . | Nayachor | SD AAA | POW |
04-Dec-71 |
Canberra |
JBCU |
Flt Lt L M Sasoon (Pt) Flt Lt R M Advani (Nav) |
IF916 | Sargodha | SD MirageIII (F/O Naeem Ata) | killed |
05-Dec-71 |
Canberra |
5 |
Flt Lt S K Goswami (Pt) Flt Lt S C Mahajan (Nav) |
IF960 / IF899 |
. | SD AAA Night of 4/5 Dec | killed |
05-Dec-71 |
Alloutte |
– |
– | – | SrinagarAFS | SD F-86? Pts Injured | Safe |
05-Dec-71 |
Mystere |
3 |
Flt Lt A V Pethia | IA 954 | Bhawalnagar | SD AAA 0715 Hrs | POW |
05-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
20 |
Sqn Ldr J M Mistry | A1014 | Sakesar | SD MirageIIIs (Fg Off Safdar) | killed |
05-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
27 |
Flt Lt G S Rai | A 482 | Sakesar | SD F-6 (W/C S Hatmi)1235 Hrs | killed |
05-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
27 |
Fg Off K L Malkani | A 488 | Sakesar | SD F-6 (F/O S Raza ) 1235 Hrs | killed |
05-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
32 |
Flt Lt V V Tambey | B 839 | Shorkot AFB | SD AAA 1350 Hrs | killed |
05-Dec-71 |
MiG-21 |
29 |
Flt Lt Harish Singhji | C 764 | Suleimanke | SD AAA 1530 Hrs | POW |
05-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
26 |
Sqn Ldr D S Jafa | B 891 | E of Lahore | SD AAA 1555 Hrs | POW |
05-Dec-71 |
Canberra |
35 |
Flt Lt S C Sandal (Pt) Flt Lt K S Nanda (Nav) |
IF923 | Sargodha | SD AAA | killed |
06-Dec-71 |
Gnat |
– |
– | – | Uttarlai AF | WO during Landing | Safe |
06-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
222 |
Fg Off K C Kuruvilla | B 854 | JassarBridge | SD AAA 1025 Hrs. | POW |
06-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
101 |
Flt Lt V K Wahi | B 868 | . | SD ,possibly by F-86. | killed |
06-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
101 |
Flt Lt J Bhattacharya | . | Chamb | SD 1225 Hrs. | Eject |
06-Dec-71 |
Mystere |
3 |
. | . | Haveli | Engine Failure | Eject |
07-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
26 |
Sqn Ldr Jiwa Singh | B 902 | . | SD F-6 (Fg Off Atiq Sufi) | killed |
07-Dec-71 |
Gnat |
9 |
Fg Off M M Singh | . | . | Cr on Ferry flight lost control. | killed |
08-Dec-71 |
MiG-21 |
45 |
Sqn Ldr Denzil Keelor | . | Chamb | SD AAA | Eject |
08-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
TACDE |
Flt Lt R G Kadam | B 910 | Risalawala | SD F-86 (W/C M H Hashmi) | killed |
08-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
7 |
Wg Cdr B A Coelho | BA329 | Suleimanke | SD AAA 1200 Hrs Hasilpur | POW |
08-Dec-71 |
Mystere |
3 |
. | . | Haveli | SD AAA Amruka | Eject |
09-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
32 |
Flt Lt N Shanker | B 860 | NW Amritsar | SD AAA | killed |
09-Dec-71 |
HF-24 |
10 |
Sqn Ldr A V Kamat | BD859 | Hyderabad. | SD AAA at Kotri, | POW |
10-Dec-71 |
Hunter |
27 |
Sqn Ldr M K Jain | A 938 | Chamb | SD AAA | killed |
10-Dec-71 |
Alize |
310 |
Lt Cdr Ashok Roy (Pt) Lt H S Sirohi (Obs) Acmn O Vijayan (TG) |
IN203 | Arabian Sea. | SD F-104 (W/C Arif Iqbal) | killed |
10-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
26 |
Flt Lt Dilip Parulkar | . | Zafarwal | SD AAA | POW |
10-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
108 |
Flt Lt S K Chibber | B 798 | Mdi Sdiqganj | SD AAA 0915 Hrs | killed |
11-Dec-71 |
Alloutte |
114HU |
Sqn Ldr K L Bajaj | Z 366 | Kashmir | Accident during CaseEvac | killed |
11-Dec-71 |
MiG-21 |
1 |
Flt Lt A B Dhavle | C1107 | Adampur | Accident. SD by a MiG-21 | killed |
11-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
26 |
Flt Lt K K Mohan | B 780 | Shakargarh | SD F-86 (Wg Cdr Bhukhari) | killed |
11-Dec-71 |
Canberra |
5 |
Flt Lt R D Naithani (Pt) Flt Lt G Theophilus (Nav) Flt Lt M Purohit (Nav) |
IF1024 | 35 Miles NE of Bikaner | SD?? No Corresponding PAF claim found. could be AA or Disorientation. was attacking Lodharan RS. | killed |
11-Dec-71 |
HF-24 |
10 |
Sqn Ldr Mickey Jatar | . | Uttarlai AFB | Strafed on Ground at by F-104 | OK |
12-Dec-71 |
MiG-21 |
47 |
Fg Off P K Sahu | C 603 | Palam AFB | Accident. Undershot Runway. | killed |
13-Dec-71 |
Mystere |
3 |
Sqn Ldr J D Kumar | IA1331 | Fazilka | SD AAA | killed |
13-Dec-71 |
MiG-21 |
47 |
Wg Cdr H S Gill | C 705 | Badin | SD AAA 1635 Hrs | killed |
14-Dec-71 |
Gnat |
18 |
Fg Off N S Sekhon | E 257 | Srinagar | SD F-86(F/O SB Mirza)0750 Hr | killed |
14-Dec-71 |
Krishak |
660 |
Capt P K Gaur | N 965 | Shakargarh | SD F-86(S/L S Gauhar)1610 Hr | killed |
15-Dec-71 |
Vampire |
121 |
— |
. | Srinagar | Destroyed on Ground | N.A |
16-Dec-71 |
Sukhoi-7 |
26 |
Flt Lt T S Danadoss | B 889 | Narowal RS | SD AAA | killed |
17-Dec-71 |
MiG-21 |
29 |
Flt Lt Tejwant Singh | C 716 | Pasrur | SD F-86 (F/L Maqsood Amir) | POW |
17-Dec-71 |
Mystere |
3 |
. | . | Haveli | Engine Flame out. | Eject |
Grand losses | 54 Known Losses (Incl 9 Accident Losses) + 2 Unlisted Hunter (Accident) losses. | ||||||
Othere Unattributed Pilots:
Mysteres (3 ) : Sqn Ldr Dass, Sqn Ldr Anukul |
Legend:
AFB: Air Force Base AAA : Anti Aircraft Artillery |
JBCU : Jet Bomber Conversion Unit TACDE: Tactical Air Combat Devp Est. POW: Prisoner of War |
HU : Helicopter Unit SD : Shot Down Obs :Observer |
Pt : Pilot Nav: Navigator TG:Telegraphist |
Notes:
1. Entries marked with “?” in the remarks column are not confirmed by secondary sources.
Acknowledgements:
Special Thanks to VP, Tomas Polak of Czechoslavakia , The officers of the College of Air Warfare, Secunderabad, Rupak Chattopadhyay, Phil Camp , Simon Watson, The Indian Air Force Museum , Times of India group and Mr. Pushpindar Singh Chopra.
Bibliography:
Government of India, Official History of the 1971 India-Pakistan War, Publications Division.
P C Lal, My Years with the IAF, Lancer Publications 1986.
K K Nayar, Amar Jawan, India Book House 1997.
Fricker John,Postmortem of an Air War, Air Enthusiast, May 1972.
Pushpindar Singh, Journal of an Air War, Air Enthusiast, Apr 1972.
Pushpindar Singh, The Battle Axes No 7 Sqn IAF, 1942-92, ??
No. 20 Sqn War Diary, Lightning Strikes , Unpublished.