While the attention of the defense community has focused on the performance of new Chinese-origin platforms such as the JF-17 Thunder and J-10CE, the F-16 fighters remain one of the main pillars of the Pakistan Air Force’s combat aviation. Given their importance, the U.S. government could move forward—at Islamabad’s request—with the provision of new AMRAAM air-to-air missiles to equip them, according to a recent contract dated September 30 published by the Department of Defense.
The history of the Pakistan Air Force’s F-16s reflects the ups and downs of diplomatic relations between Islamabad and Washington over the past fifty years. Acquired under the Peace Gate I, II, III, and IV programs, Pakistan became one of the first international operators of the then-new fighter produced by General Dynamics. However, the Peace Gate III and IV programs faced embargoes due to Pakistan’s nuclear program, in a saga that stretched from the late 1980s until well into the 2000s, when the War on Terror following the September 11 attacks and Pakistan’s support in that context shifted the situation.
Today, Pakistan’s fleet consists of an original batch of F-16A/B Block 15 fighters, which underwent a Mid-Life Update (MLU) and service life extension program, complemented by F-16C/D Block 52 aircraft acquired in the mid-2000s as diplomatic relations between both countries were renewed under the Peace Drive program. Additionally, during the 2010s, Pakistan purchased second-hand F-16 Block 15 ADF aircraft to bolster its fleet.
With that background, the most recent development regarding the Pakistan Air Force’s F-16s comes from a U.S. Department of Defense contract granting Raytheon a new firm-fixed-price modification for the production of AMRAAM air-to-air missiles destined for allied nations through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, among which Pakistan is included.
Specifically, the U.S. firm received “… a firm-fixed-price modification worth $41,681,329 (P00026) to a previously awarded contract (FA8675-23-C-0037) for the production, sustainment, and various configurations of the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). This modification brings the total cumulative value of the contract to $2,512,389,558, up from the original $2,470,708,229.”
The contract further states that it “… includes Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to the following countries: United Kingdom, Poland, Pakistan, Germany, Finland, Australia, Romania, Qatar, Oman, Korea, Greece, Switzerland, Portugal, Singapore, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Japan, Slovakia, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Norway, Spain, Kuwait, Sweden, Taiwan, Lithuania, Israel, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Turkey.”
However, the update does not specify which version of the AMRAAM family of missiles is involved, though it is presumed to be the AIM-120C8, the most advanced variant currently available for export. The even more advanced AIM-120D3 remains restricted to the U.S. Armed Forces and a select group of close allies.
Images used for illustrative purposes only.
You may also be interested in: Following the purchase of new JF-17s from Pakistan, Azerbaijan reportedly transferred MiG-29 fighters to the Ukrainian Air Force
