Pressure on India? US approves upgrade of Pakistan Air Force F-16 fighter jets, India is anxious
[Global Times Comprehensive Report] India's Eurasian Times said on the 13th that the United States recently approved the Pakistan Air Force's US-made F-16 fighter upgrade project, which not only means that the Indian Air Force will face pressure from more advanced opponents, but also comes at a time when India rejects the United States Demanding and maintaining military cooperation with Russia, the US move is likely to exert more pressure on India.
According to the report, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency recently notified the US Congress of its decision to allow Pakistan to provide F-16 fighter support upgrades and other related services, with an estimated total value of 450 million US dollars.
Although the U.S. side said that "the transaction will not change the regional military balance, nor does it involve any new capabilities, weapons or ammunition," the Indian media believes that it still "sounds the alarm" for New Delhi.
The report quoted Indian Air Force experts as saying, "The maintenance content of the F-16 fighter jet provided by the United States to Pakistan may include an upgrade program to enable it to carry more advanced weapons and sensors. Although I don't think this program will significantly change the balance of power, it It will definitely allow the Pakistan Air Force to maintain its deterrent capability against the Indian Air Force." Currently Pakistan has different batches of F-16 fighter jets.
According to the report, some analysts believe that the Indian Air Force’s Russian-made fighter jets cannot fight against Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jets equipped with AIM-120 missiles, so they turned to France to introduce more advanced Rafale fighter jets.
But what worries India more is the political pressure behind the US move.
"Eurasia Times" said that in 2018, then US President Trump suspended support for Pakistan's F-16 fleet in order to win over India and use the excuse of "Pakistan sheltering terrorists".
Now Indian military and foreign policy experts worry that the U.S. Biden administration’s decision to lift maintenance restrictions on Pakistani fighter jets after a lapse of four years coincides with tensions between India and the United States over New Delhi’s refusal to join the West in sanctioning Russia. Apply more pressure.
(Ma Jun)