In the wake of Pulwama terror attack and Indian air strikes, tensions between India and Pakistan have risen. After terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) undertook a suicide bomb attack on Indian CRPF soldiers killing 40, India responded by conducted air strikes on bases of the terror group on Pakistan’s soil.
The following day saw air battles between both the nations, as an F16 jet of Pakistan was downed by India while an IAF MiG-21 Bison chopper crashed in PoK, and its pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistan authorities. However, he was later released by Pakistan. As the air battle between India and Pakistan was evident with air strikes and downing of F16 jet, here is a look at where India and Pakistan when it comes to the strength of their air force.
In terms of manpower, India is way ahead of Pakistan. India has over 12 lakh personnel while Pakistan has strength of about 78,000. India has 60 air bases while Pakistan has 21 air stations. India has more advanced air combat aircrafts than that of Pakistan. India’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI or Flanker is the most advanced fighter jet of IAF with air-to-air and surface-to-air striking capability. It was inducted in 2002 and is extensively used by India. IAF has about 250 operational units Flanker. The aircraft has a top speed of Mach 2 (2,120 kmph) and it can carry a weight of 38,800 kg. It can carry radars, missiles, bombs and rockets.
Vajra or Mirage-2000 is IAF’s deadliest aircraft. IAF has about 40-50 units of Mirage-2000 at present. SEPECAT jaguar or Shamsher is another powerful fighter jet of IAF. It was built with support from British Royal Air Force (RAF) and French Air Force. IAF has 91 units of SEPECAT jaguar in active duty. It serves IAF as primary ground attack aircraft. However, Jaguar is unable to fly at high altitude with a heavy load on board.
Soviet-made MIG-29 or Baaz is the second line of defence for IAF after Flanker. India is one of the largest exporters of these aircraft for Russia, which can counter F-series planes of US. Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is replacing the ageing Soviet sourced MiG-21.
The Hercules C-130J, the all-weather transport aircraft, is another Indian aircraft which is in operations at many air force stations. IAF also inducted six C-130J aircraft in 2017 and they are being upgraded with procuring night vision goggles. IAF also has 85 MiG 27 or Bahadur which are being phased out to acknowledge service issues. IAF is also waiting for Rafale jets which will replace the 50-year-old MiG series.
Talking about Pakistan, its air force has Dassault-made Mirage 5, Mirage III, Chengdu J7, JF-17 and F16s. Mirage 5 is a single-seat and single-engine fighter aircraft. Chengdu F-7PG is another fighter jet with upgraded radar system and effective targeting skills. Pakistan also has 120 F-7P and about 60 F-7PG. However, it is going to replace them with JF-17 Thunder multirole fighters.
JF-17 is light-weight, single-engine, multirole combat fighter developed jointly by Pakistan and China. They are capable of both air and surface targets. 1.8 Mach or 2222.64 kmph is its top speed. Pakistan also has US-made F16 Fighting Falcons, which are its most superior fleet.
Further, they are in the process to induct Chinese j-31s. According to a Carnegie report, Pakistan is in talks with China and US, and can soon operate some 40 J-31 stealth fighters at the high-end, 100 F-16s armed with the best beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles and other advanced air-to-ground munitions, some J-10s and 250 JF-17s at the low end.