Pakistan may soon receive advanced AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles from the United States, a move that coincides with improving ties between Washington and Islamabad. The development follows the U.S. Department of War’s (formerly Department of Defence) notification modifying a previous contract with defence manufacturer Raytheon to include Pakistan among its buyers for the state-of-the-art air-to-air missiles.
An NDTV report states that the contract modification, valued at over USD 41.6 million, is part of a larger deal worth more than USD 2.5 billion. It covers the production of AIM-120C8 and D3 variants for multiple foreign military sales recipients, including the United Kingdom, Poland, Pakistan, Germany, Finland, Australia, Japan, and several others. However, as per an India Today report, Islamabad is the only one with ties to China. Delivery under the contract is expected to be completed by May 2030, according to the notification.
Implications For India
An NDTV article states that while the exact number of AIM-120 missiles that Pakistan may receive remains unclear, the move has fuelled speculation about possible upgrades to the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) F-16 fleet. The AIM-120 is compatible primarily with the F-16, the PAF’s mainstay fighter. The Express Tribune, a Pakistani daily report, suggests that the F-16 fighter jet was used during the February 2019 aerial engagement between India and Pakistan, when an IAF MiG-21 flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was shot down.
Defence analyst publication Quwa notes that Pakistan currently operates the AIM-120C5 variant, acquired in 2010, along with its F-16 Block 52 fighters. The C8 variant reportedly represents a major improvement over earlier models and is the export equivalent of the AIM-120D, used by the U.S. Air Force.
Renewed Pakistan-USA Ties
The approval comes just weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir at the White House, signalling a renewed phase of engagement between the two countries. The missile deal follows Pakistan’s dispatch of mineral samples to Washington under a rare earths cooperation agreement — a sign of deepening strategic exchanges.
Islamabad has publicly credited President Trump for mediating the ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, although New Delhi maintains that the truce followed direct military talks between their respective Directors General of Military Operations.
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