Skip to main content

F-16 Factor between PAF and IAF

The recent announcement of of Eight more F-16s for the PAF has been cause of much anxiety and depression in the neighbourhood. Albeit Pakistan has been operating the Fighting Falcon for over Thirty years with newer and more capable models being acquired within the last decade, however, the reaction by India to the recent acquisition has been unprecedented. This is all the more scandalous since India currently is one of the top armament purchasing country boasting of fourth largest air force in the world.

But it's also possible that India does have real concerns as the F-16s continue to rattle nerves in New Delhi.

According to Indian writer Pushpinder Singh, the arrival of F-16s in the Sub-continent caused such alarm bells that India in response ended up purchasing no less than 220 assorted fighter jets from Russia and France, hence the latest reaction by India thus shouldn't come as a surprise. 
F-16
F-16

The F-16, the most widely used and combat proven aircraft of recent times has also proved it's tremendous capabilities within the PAF. Soon after bit's arrival in Pakistan in the mid-80s, it was immediately pressed into service against joint Afghan/Soviet threat and in the process shot down no less than a dozen Soviet origin aircraft without a single loss to enemy action, since PAF never disclosed about those aircraft that fell on the other side of the border, so the actual number of victims, which is much higher remains classified.

A PAF F-16 also made history by achieving first night interception and shooting down of an IAF spy drone of Israeli origin in 2002. In 2005, Pratt & Whitney presented a plaque to the PAF in recognition of flying the F-16 for over 100,000 accident free flight hours.
A notable incident took place in 2008, when some Indian aircraft in a threatening manner intruded into Pakistan airspace and were promptly intercepted by PAF F-16s and escorted out.

More recently, PAF F-16s have been busy in carrying out strikes against the Taliban near Afghan border with great success. Even during exercises with friendly air forces, the PAF have scored repeated victories against such potent systems as the Euro fighter Typhoons and F-15 Eagles. All in all, since it's induction in PAF, the F-16s have remained geared into action in one form or another, always coming out on the top. It enjoys an unparalleled combat record while most aircraft in the neighbourhood don't have a single combat kill to their name so any wonder even eight F-16s can cause so many ripples.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Pakistani JF-17 A Thunder OR A Blunder

Pakistan has witnessed new defense acquisitions in this decade than any other, and in the center of it all is the new fighter which was designed by China with partial funding from Pakistan. It is formally known as JF-17 Thunder. When the fighter was in development, Pakistani online communities were jumping with excitement comparing it with its arch rival India’s modern combatants Su-30MKI, Mig-29S & Mirage-2000H. There were claims of it featuring western Radars and long range missiles, & Chinese ordering some due to its superior capabilities. But the reality is far from it. China having spent significant amount of money into a fighter which it is never going to use, most probably forced Pakistan to accept its avionics to offset some its development costs. Chinese who are known for their self reliance first and quality next, are further downgrading JF-17s capabilities with their poorly copy-pirated avionics. Along with their dubious weapons, any chance of JF...

India Planned Attack On Pak Navy Mehran Base To Kill Chinese Engineers

The terrorist attack on Karachi's Mehran Naval Station on May 22 was conceived and launched by India with the primary objective of killing the Chinese engineers present there, a Pakistani newspaper has claimed, citing 'informed sources'. Four to six Taliban terrorists had entered PNS Mehran on May 22, destroying two maritime surveillance aircraft and killing ten military personnel during their 17-hour siege of the naval air base. "India is the only country in the region that feels troubled by the Pakistan Navy, which had awfully beaten the Indian Navy in Operation Dwarka of 1965. Since then, it has been an earnest desire of India to harm the Pakistan Navy but it was perhaps not possible on the battle front, hence it struck the PNS Mehran," The News quoted sources as saying.

Pakistani F-16s Shoot Down RAF Eurofighter Typhoons During Air Combat Exercises In Turkey

Pakistani pilots flying modernised versions of the 1970s-vintage F-16 Falcon fighter have beaten the RAF's brand-new Eurofighter Typhoon superfighters during air combat exercises in Turkey, according to a Pakistani officer. Analysis: The RAF Typhoon, formerly known as the Eurofighter, should nonetheless have been vastly superior in air-to-air combat whether BVR or close in within visual range (WVR). The cripplingly expensive, long-delayed Eurofighter was specifically designed to address the defects of its predecessor the Tornado F3 – famously almost useless in close-in, dogfighting-style air combat. The Typhoon was meant to see off such deadly in-close threats as Soviet "Fulcrums" and "Flankers" using short-range missiles fired using helmet-mounted sight systems: such planes were thought well able to beat not just Tornados but F-16s in close fighting, and this expectation was borne out after the Cold War when the Luftwaffe inherite...