The upgrade package, notified to the US Congress in December, is intended to modernize Pakistan’s aging F-16 fleet and extend their operational life through 2040.
India has raised objections to a $686 million US package to upgrade Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jets and extend their service life, according to Indian media reports. The upgrade package, notified to the US Congress in December, is intended to modernize Pakistan’s aging F-16 fleet and extend their operational life through 2040.
The proposed package includes 92 Link-16 tactical communication systems, avionics upgrades, secure communications, navigation equipment, spare parts, and training, as stated in a US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notification published last month. The package does not involve the sale of new fighter jets, and the US agency said it would not alter the basic military balance in the region.
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, in his talks with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, also raised the possibility of sensitive American military technology supplied to Pakistan reaching third countries, the Economic Times reported, citing officials familiar with the discussions. The two officials met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Cebu, Philippines.
Washington has maintained that the upgrades would support cooperation with Pakistan in counterterrorism operations, improve coordination between the two countries’ air forces, and address aircraft safety concerns. However, India has previously objected to American support for Pakistan’s F-16 fleet, including in 2022 when Washington approved a $450 million maintenance package. Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar also questioned Washington’s justification that the aircraft were needed for counterterrorism operations.
The development highlights the complex dynamics of the region, with India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed, having clashed briefly last year with drones and missiles following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 civilians. The US decision to proceed with the upgrade despite India’s objections may strain relations between the two countries, which have been deepening defense cooperation under a ten-year partnership framework signed last year.
