After the ghastly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, India has taken a slew of strategic actions while reserving the right of kinetic action at the time of its choosing. This has put the Pakistan military apparatus on tenterhooks and has sent its propaganda machinery into overdrive.
At the receiving end of the propaganda was the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) latest fighter jet, Rafale, which was part of India’s major muscle flexing. Pakistan claimed its F-16 Fighting Falcons pushed back the IAF’s French-origin Rafale fighter jets. Some reports even claimed to have shot down the Rafale.
Meanwhile, Rafale, in addition to patrolling Indian airspace, tested war landings on the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh. The 3.5-kilometer-long airstrip permits both daytime and nighttime landings, allowing round-the-clock military operations and assessing the expressway’s viability as an alternative runway during emergencies.
Pakistan’s claims have already been debunked by fact-checkers; the EurAsian Times examines the capabilities of two fighter jets—one nearly four decades old American fighter and another European Fighter Jet equipped with the latest avionics and armed to the teeth.
F-16s and Rafales have never fought air battles against each other except in NATO drills, hence the tensions between India and Pakistan have piqued the interest of military observers across the globe.
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Putting the four-decade-old F-16s in the same league as the 4.5 generation French Rafales is not only misleading but also a display of overconfidence by the PAF propaganda machinery.
When the PAF inducted F-16s, the IAF inducted several fighter jets, including the Mirage 2000, Jaguar, and MiG-29. These IAF fighters proved their mettle during the Kargil war and the Balakot strikes in 2019, when the Mirage-2000s deceived Pakistan’s air defense and pounded the terror infrastructure in the country.
To understand the power asymmetry between the two air forces, let us dissect the capabilities of F-16s in the PAF and Rafales in the IAF.
Fighting Falcons In South Asian Skies
In 1981, the US agreed to sell the F-16 single-engine multi-role fighters to Pakistan under the Peace Gate Program. At that time, the aircraft was state-of-the-art, with fly-by-wire controls and high manoeuvrability.
The mighty jets boasted high speeds as Mach 2 and could carry a heavy weapon complement. Its combat radius was limited to around 350 miles, and the earlier variants did not have beyond-visual-range missiles.
Pakistan Air Force received a total of 28 F-16As and 12 two-seater F-16Bs between 1982 and 1986. These fighter jets were inducted into PAF’s 9,11, and 14 squadrons and were deployed along the Afghan border. The fighter jets’ weapon complement included two advanced AIM-9L and two cheaper AIM-9P-4 Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles.
The AIM 9L ‘Lima’ Sidewinders gave the F-16s a particular edge as they could hit opponents from any angle, unlike the earlier heat-seeking missiles that locked on an aircraft from the rear.
The F-16A/Bs of the 1980s brought with them electronic countermeasures (ECM) technology, enabling the PAF’s F-16s to easily jam enemy radars. No other PAF fighter at the time possessed this technology.
In 1988, the PAF decided to order 11 new F-16 A/Bs and purchase 60 more of these fighter jets in 1989. However, due to Islamabad’s nuclear ambitions, US-Pakistan relations took a turn for the worse, and Washington imposed an arms embargo.
The embargo made it difficult for the PAF to maintain and operate the F-16s. Not only did no new F-16s come, but spare parts also eluded them. The constraint on the F-16 fleet was felt during the 1999 Kargil conflict.
In 1999, the F-16s were countered by India’s fighters of Soviet origin—MiG-29s and MiG-21s. Talking to the EurAsian Times on an earlier occasion, former vice chief of IAF Air Marshal Anil Khosla (retired) said: “Mig-29 and Mig-21 aircraft played an important role in local area air dominance by preventing enemy aircraft from interfering with our air and ground operations.”
“The effort these aircraft put into air defense escorts and Combat Air Patrols by day and night proved an effective deterrent, ensuring local air superiority. At times, PAF F-16s, orbiting on their side of the LOC, were kept at bay by our air defense fighters flying a protective pattern above the strike,” Khosla added.
This made the PAF work on JF-17 ‘Thunder’ in partnership with China.
In 2013, Pakistan purchased nine more F-16As and four F-16 Bs directly from Jordan. Today, Pakistan operates around sixty-six F-16A/Bs and nineteen F-16C/Ds in four active squadrons: No. 9 ‘Griffins’ in Sargodha, the No. 19 ‘Sherdills’ training and air defense squadron at Thatta, and the No. 11 Arrows multi-role squadron based at Shahbaz near Jacobabad. The last base also hosts the No. 5 Falcons multi-role squadron, the only F-16C/D unit.
The aging F-16A/B aircraft have already been getting closer to obsolescence, and their airframes will soon surpass their designated lifespans.
Turkish Aerospace Industry has been helping Pakistan give mid-life upgrades (MLU) to PAF’s F-16 fighters. In June 2009, the PAF selected TAI for mid-life upgrades on 41 General Dynamics F-16A/B Block-15s.
The upgrade began in 2010 and led to the installation of the AN/APG-68(v9) radar, a new cockpit, the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), a new electronic warfare and electronic countermeasures system, and structural replenishment to guarantee that the F-16s safely reach their intended 8,000-hour service lives. The program was completed in September 2014.
In May 2016, Pakistan and Turkey agreed to a USD $75 million contract to upgrade the PAF’s F-16s and optimize their MLUs (Mid-Life Upgrades) for nighttime operations.
Most recently, the Trump administration, after coming to power for a second term, approved a US$ $397 million package to support the F-16 fleet. Despite the upgrades, structural fatigue cannot be denied.
Also, the PAF has traditionally relied on its F-16 fleet within a defensive framework. The focus has been on intercept and counter-air roles, which are heavily dependent on the F-16’s agility and speed. In a defensive scenario, F-16 pilots trained to excel in close-range, high-G maneuvers can effectively disrupt an adversary’s BVR advantage.
Rafales – Arrival Of The “Gust Of Wind”
For a long time, the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) on the PAF’s F-16s had been a source of consternation for the IAF. The early-model AIM-120A/B has a range of up to 75 kilometres. But in 2010, Pakistan received a batch of the AIM-120C-5, with a range of 100 kilometres.
The range of the AMRAAM gave F-16s an edge over their Indian counterparts. However, the arrival of the French Rafale fighter jet changed it. Loaded with BVRAAM (Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile) Meteor, the Rafales are the deadliest flying beast in South Asia.
The Meteor brings F-16s with their AMRAAMs within the striking range of Rafales. Even the JF-17, which will form the backbone of Pakistan’s air power, is also vulnerable to the Rafales.
In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan, fearing retaliatory strikes from India, closed its airspace for Indian registered aircraft. However, unlike Balakot Strikes, Rafale would not need to cross the border to inflict damage on Pakistan’s terror infrastructure.
The Meteor on Rafales has the largest ‘no-escape zone’—the area within which the target can’t kinetically avoid being hit, or the kill probability is very high. The meteor has an extended range of 120 km (against 100 km of AMRAAMs), which allows it to excel at hunting and destroying threats over long distances even under severe weather conditions.
In simpler words, the Meteor missile allows Indian pilots to engage F-16s before they even detect Rafales. The F-16’s AMRAAM is effective but outranged. Rafale’s AESA radar enhances first-shot capability, making it harder for F-16s to retaliate.
Additionally, Indian Rafales are being outfitted with the X-Guard fiber-optic towed decoy system, which allows the aircraft to evade both air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles.
The Scalp air-launched missile on Rafale jets is designed to strike high-value targets such as radars, air bases, ports, and communication centers in Pakistan. With long-range and low-altitude flying capabilities, the missile can operate at any time of day or night.
Besides, the Indian Rafale fighters are equipped with air-to-surface Hammer all-weather smart weapons. The Hammer is a fire-and-forget weapon with a range of 70 km and has great resilience to jamming and target location errors. It can be launched from a small range to a longer range of 70 km without the use of GPS.
The lighter airframe and high thrust-to-weight ratio makes the F-16 ideal for close-quarters maneuvering. However, Rafale’s superior fly-by-wire system and maneuverability can counter this advantage in prolonged engagements.
Rafale’s SPECTRA system, which has an advanced electronic warfare suite, helps it detect 40 targets from a 90-mile range. However, the system can jam and spoof enemy radar, making it difficult for the F-16 to lock on to it.
Thales’ RBE2 AESA radar detects threats with greater accuracy, helping Rafale pilots evade missiles. Pakistan’s F-16 lacks an equivalent advanced electronic warfare suite, making it more vulnerable.
On paper, F-16s have a marginally longer range than Rafales, but the IAF has already used these fighter jets for long-duration missions. The IAF’s Rafale aircraft made nonstop ferries from the Dassault factory at Bordeaux to home base Ambala in India, using in-flight refueling to fly for nearly 8 hours and 45 minutes.
During Exercise Gagan Shakti in 2018, IAF aircraft took off from eastern airbases, struck simulated targets in India’s southern peninsula, and then proceeded to the Andaman Islands, flying 8-10-hour missions. The range gives Rafales the wherewithal to strike Pakistan from whichever side they want.
To conclude, India’s Rafale dominates in BVR combat, scuttling Pakistan’s ability to retaliate. Pakistan’s F-16 excels in dogfights, but that requires getting close to an adversary first, which the Rafales have an undeniable advantage in.
Further, electronic warfare and frontal stealth gives Rafale a decisive edge over the F-16 and any aircraft in Pakistan’s arsenal. Moreover, force multiplication (Su-30MKIs, AWACS) tips the scales in Rafales’ favour.
- OPED. Views Personal of the Author
