Pakistan-India Conflict 2025: News Updates and Discussion

Hendarto said:
Where are the F-16 worshipers? Please read this article.

nationalinterest.org

Where Were Pakistan’s F-16s During Its Clash With India?

An agreement with the United States means the Pakistani Air Force can only use its F-16s for counterterrorism missions.
nationalinterest.org nationalinterest.org

Where Were Pakistan’s F-16s During Its Clash With India?​

May 13, 2025
By: Christian D. Orr

​

An agreement with the United States means the Pakistan Air Force can only use its F-16s for counterterrorism missions.​

Now that the Trump administration has mediated a ceasefire and Operation Sindoor (the official Indian government moniker for its operation in Pakistan) has wound down, reports are circulating that the two belligerents’ fighter jocks engaged each other in a clash involving over 125 jets, in what some pundits are calling the “largest dogfight since WW2.”


Yet amongst all the claims and counterclaims from each country’s media outlets about which side supposedly one-upped the other, references to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Tejas (“Radiance”) and the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, aka “the Viper,” are conspicuous due to their absence. Which naturally begs the question “Why?”

America’s Demands on Pakistani F-16s​

Thus far, I have been unable to answer the Indian Air Force’s part of that question. But we do have the answer to the Pakistani half of the question, thanks to Regtechtimes reporter Mayur Joshi in an article republished on MSN: “Counterterrorism Only: U.S Blocked Pakistan’s F-16s from War Use Against India.” To wit:

“According to the [foreign military sales] agreement between the United States and Pakistan, these jets can only be used for counterterrorism missions. That means they are meant to help fight terrorists inside Pakistan, especially in areas like the tribal regions near the western border. The jets are not meant for use in any direct war with another country. The rules don’t directly mention India, but it is clearly understood that these planes should not be used in any conflict with India. The agreement also covers the use of certain missiles like the AIM-120 AMRAAM, which are loaded on the F-16s. These missiles are also under strict control and cannot be used without permission from the US.

Even though Pakistan owns the jets, the US still controls what they can and cannot do with them. If Pakistan uses the F-16s in a war against India without permission, it would break the agreement.”

Needless to say, a response to India’s conventional uniformed military forces doesn’t qualify as a counterterrorism mission.

A violation of this agreement would trigger the United States to cut off the provision of spare parts, repair work, and other logistical assistance to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Vipers, effectively leaving them grounded.

As far as the internal counterterrorism mission for the F-16 is concerned, the Iraqi Air Force demonstrated during its 2015-2018 fight against the Islamic Stateterrorist group that Viper could indeed play an effective role. (As a quick personal aside, in an ironic twist of fate, several of my old former contractor colleagues with whom I worked on the Iraqi F-16 program are now doing the same thing for the PAF F-16 program.)

No Such Quid Pro Quo from China​

By contrast, China has imposed no such usage restrictions on its own warbirds—such as the JF-17 Thunder and J-10 Vigorous Dragon fighters—or the ordnance that Beijing has sold to Pakistan. This explains why we are hearing stories about the PAF’s successful use of Chinese-made PL-15 air-to-air missiles against the Indian Air Force’s French-built Rafale jets (as well as Russian-designed Su-30MKIs and MiG-29s).

Parting Observations on the Pakistani F-16​

According to my TNI colleague Sebastien Roblin, the last time a PAF F-16 driver was officially credited with an air-to-air jet kill was way back on Lt. Khalid Mahmood shot down an Su-24M “Fencer” bomber belonging to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Air Force (the aerial warfare branch of the puppet government installed by the Soviet Union during the Soviets’ occupation of Afghanistan).

Though twenty-seven years is a long lag time, that’s still a real-world combat experience factor that, as far as we know, the Indian Tejas crews are still lacking.

In the meantime, the hypothetical showdown between Tejas and Viper remains just that, hypothetical.

About the Author: Christian D. Orr​

Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with
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There's a good amount of bullshit in there. The Vipers were doing CAPs....and no Su-24 has ever been shot down by PAF nor did the Afghan AF ever operate them.

The last PAF reported kill was an IAF MiG-21 Bison which occured on the morning of Feb 27th 2019....
 
AJIT DOVAL IS LAUGHING STOCK OF THE WORLD
and you know he is coward.... even in this closed door audience he got a big fella gaurding him..... lolzzz buzdil ka bacha(son of a coward father)..
HENCE PROVEN
Cow dung eaters and piss drinkers are not and will be equal to meat eaters
shit fly is never equal to lion, it might be able to annoy a lion but never ever since the day of life till the last day of life a shit fly(INDIA) will never be able to take a lion down even if its 1.2 billion of shit flies...
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lolzzzzzzzz here is doval shit fly
bitch slapped by PAK army into updated software and now
hiding and crying like a lil bit&h...
Bit&h of trump
 
RescueRanger said:
Update: Multiple friendly countries have requested that Pakistan send PAF pilots to train their pilots.
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Is it about just training pilots anymore?
I think by the grace of Allah, PAF hasn't just worked hard but smart, by anticipating how the future air warfare be like and adapted accordingly. And i think they will evolve big margins even in the coming decades inshAllah, and that's what such friendly nations would want now too.

The force multipliers, the net-centric warfare, having complete awareness of the battle-space, developing tactics in accordance and shaping a whole new doctrine.

In comparison to this IAF stood no chance even if double the numbers they had. They even tried updating thier threat libraries on Rafales in the first round, in the second round though they learnt that it was actually the Teja who was the smartest of them all resting on ground.
 
Ali_Baba said:
The F16 product is, but it is restrictive interms of when and how it can be used and the political aftereffects( indian complaints etc). Why waste time with putting up with that?

A F16V upgrade will probably cost the same as a new J10CE, so what is the value in upgrading F16s ?
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PAF needs numbers of front line aircraft. Until substantial J-10CE and JF-17s are not inducted the platform remains important to the overall efficiency of the Airforce. Believe me PAF will use them if and when required.
 
Fatman17 said:
PAF needs numbers of front line aircraft. Until substantial J-10CE and JF-17s are not inducted the platform remains important to the overall efficiency of the Airforce. Believe me PAF will use them if and when required.
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Agree - use what you have, but dont waste any more money on them interms of upgrades from the USA. OZGUR would make sense if you are really want to, but not the V upgrade.
 
PakAl said:
The real hero
View attachment 120965
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While I am chuckling at this and get it that a lot of the world does not like my President, you at least have to admit that his team, along with the assistance of a couple of other nations, played a big role in helping both sides in this conflict step back from the brink.

Now, what has happened and remains to happen since the stand down is yet to be seen. But, the alternative, had there not been intervention, might have been far worse not just for the region but the world as a whole.
 
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