BIG: U.S' $686M F-16 Deal for Pakistan, BIGGEST Proof That F-16s Were SHOT DOWN During Op Sindoor

Oneindia

Washington has approved a major $686 million F-16 modernisation package for Pakistan, coming just months after India’s Operation Sindoor heightened regional tensions. The upgrade includes Link-16 secure data networks, advanced radar enhancements, and critical spares that will extend Pakistan’s F-16 fleet life to 2040.  India, meanwhile, claims multiple Pakistani F-16s were damaged or lost during the May strikes, citing satellite imagery from Bholari and Sargodha. While the new American package boosts Pakistan’s resilience and networking capability, analysts say it does not shift the overall air-power balance, with India’s Rafales still retaining a technological edge.  The announcement has triggered fresh debate over U.S. involvement in South Asian military dynamics and the future of India-Pakistan strategic competition.    #PakistanF16Upgrade #USPakistanDefense #F16Modernisation #OperationSindoor #IndiaPakistanTensions #SouthAsiaSecurity #USDefenseDeal #PakistanAirForce #F16Package #IndiaVsPakistan #USArmsSale #BreakingNews #GeoPolitics #PAFUpgrades #IndiaDefenseNews #F16Link16 #USPakistanRelations  ~HT.178~ED.420~GR.122~

Transcript

00:00The United States has cleared a massive

00:28$686 million upgrade package for Pakistan's F-16 fighter fleet,

00:35the biggest American military support to Islamabad in years.

00:40And the timing? Hard to ignore.

00:44It comes seven months after India's Operation Sindur,

00:48which left several Pakistani F-16s damaged or destroyed.

00:54So what exactly has America approved?

00:57Why now? And how worried should India be?

01:01Let's break it down.

01:03First, this is not a sale of new jets.

01:07Pakistan is getting no additional F-16s.

01:11Instead, the U.S. is funding a major modernization

01:15of the 75 to 80 F-16s Pakistan already operates.

01:20The package includes new Link-16 secure data links, upgraded radars, encrypted radios, friend or faux

01:29identification systems, and critical spare parts that keep these jets flying well into 2040.

01:36Think of it as a full life extension overhaul, plus a high-speed secure communication network connecting Pakistani and American jets.

01:46Indian officials are calling this approval the clearest admission yet that Pakistan lost F-16s in May.

01:54During Operation Sindur, India launched a four-day precision strike campaign after the Pahalgam terror attack,

02:03using BrahMos and Scalp cruise missiles on 11 Pakistani air bases.

02:09Satellite images later showed burning hangars at Bolari and Sargota, home to F-16 squadrons.

02:16India says four to five F-16s were destroyed or badly damaged.

02:23Pakistan denied it.

02:24But the size and urgency of this upgrade package tells its own story.

02:30With these upgrades, Pakistan's F-16s become tougher, more networked and harder to jam.

02:37But they remain fourth-generation, single-engine fighters.

02:41India's Rafal, with the Meteor missile and the Spectra electronic warfare suite, continues to hold a clear edge.

02:50In simulations and real-world encounters, Rafal performance has consistently dominated the F-16.

02:58This left trade narrows the gap slightly, but it does not close it.

03:03India's qualitative and numerical advantage remains intact.

03:07For the United States, it's about keeping Pakistan cooperative on counter-terrorism,

03:13and ready if Afghanistan deteriorates again.

03:16For Pakistan, it's a badly needing repair program and a morale boost.

03:21For India, it's an irritant, not a strategic threat.

03:26Bottom line, if this deal goes through, and it almost certainly will,

03:31Pakistan's air force becomes a little more resilient, a little more capable.

03:36But the air power balance in South Asia still leans firmly toward India.

03:41That's the story tonight.

03:43The jets may be getting an upgrade.

03:45The power equation is not.

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