By Admin 
America and Pakistan are getting closer since Operation Sindoor. A new evidence of this has come out from the missile defense deal of both countries. Pakistan is likely to get the ‘AIM-12 advanced middle range missiles (AMRAAM) from the US. According to the report of the Express Tribune, Pakistan’s name is also among the buyers of AIM-12 AMRAAM in the recently notified arms agreement by the US War Ministry (DOW).
According to the PTI report, the notification states that “In this agreement, Britain, Poland, Pakistan, Germany, Finland, Australia, Romania, Qatar, Oman, Korea, Greece, Switzerland, Portugal, Singapore, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Japan, Slovakia, Denmark, Canadian, Belgian, Bahrain, Bahrain, Arabia, Norway, Spain, Kuwait, Finland, Sweden, Taiwan, Lithuania, Israel, Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkey include foreign military sales. “Although it is not clear how many new Amraam missiles will be given to Pakistan, but the F-16 fleet of Pakistani Air Force is being discussed due to this news.
Deal discussion after Trump Shahbaz and Aimsim meeting
The deal came out a few days after the meeting of US President Donald Trump, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir. During the meeting, Trump had said that he has played a role in reducing the increasing tension between India and Pakistan. Defense experts believe that the contract indicates new strategic proximity between Pakistan and the US. The US can try to balance the influence of China and Russia through this deal.
Speculation about upgrade of f-16 fighter jets
After this missile deal, it is being speculated that Pakistan can upgrade its F-16 fighter jet fleet. According to the Express Tribune report, the AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles can be used with F-16 aircraft. During the air clashes between India and Pakistan in February 2019, Pakistan used this missile on Indian aircraft. Now this deal is being considered another major step towards increasing the capacity of F-16 aircraft.
AIM-12C8 missile technical capacity
AIM-12C8 is the new version of the US AIM-120D missile. It is a medium -range air -to -air missile, which now makes RTX Corporation.
The main features of this missile are as follows:
- Range: From 160 to 180 km, the launch depends on the platform.
- Speed: Mac 4 is about four times faster than the voice speed.
- Guidance: Active radar homeing system, which helps in the exact target.
- Capacity: Can target several air goals simultaneously.
The missile is useful in aircraft like F-15, F-16, F/A-18, F-22, Eurofighter Typhoon, Greepen, Tornado and F-35. Apart from this, it is also used in ground air defense systems like Nasams (National Advanced Surface-to-aair Missile System), which has been adopted by America, Norway, Poland and Ukraine.
What does this deal mean for India?
This potential deal is strategically important for India. It will improve its air power with Pakistan getting AIM-12 missiles and F-16 upgrade. Although India already has an advanced fighter like Rafael and Sukhoi-30 MKI, Meteor missiles are used, but a possible missile deal of Pakistan-American can create new stress in regional power balance.