An agreement with the United States means the Pakistani 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 Pakistani 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 assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
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