The United States has greenlit a substantial $686 million package aimed at the repair, sustainment, and system upgrades of Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jets. This significant financial commitment, according to Indian defense analysts and military officials, speaks volumes about the actual damage inflicted on Pakistan’s F-16 fleet during India’s Operation Sindoor. The scale and specific components of this US-funded package strongly suggest that Pakistan’s F-16s sustained considerable damage earlier this year during the operation.
The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has officially notified Congress of this extensive support package for Pakistan. The listed upgrades, encompassing a broad spectrum of avionics, communication systems, and mission-support enhancements, directly correlate with systems reportedly affected by the Indian strikes. These details align precisely with the types of damages observed at major Pakistan Air Force installations in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.
The package’s comprehensive nature includes crucial elements like the Link-16 tactical data link system, advanced secure communication modules, software updates for the Operational Flight Program (OFP), sophisticated mission-planning and debriefing tools, and essential ground-based testing equipment. Furthermore, a significant supply of spare parts and support items, alongside engineering and technical services from original equipment manufacturers, is included. This provision also covers simulator support, documentation, depot-level maintenance, and hardware for recalibrating and re-certifying F-16 avionics and weapons integration. Inert Mk-82 bomb bodies are also part of the deal for crucial testing purposes.
Indian officials emphasize that a considerable portion of this allocated funding directly addresses the repair and recovery needs that Pakistan urgently pursued following Operation Sindoor. This, they argue, provides concrete evidence that critical F-16 related systems and infrastructure were indeed impacted. Internal Pakistani documents had previously highlighted urgent repair requirements at key air bases such as Shahbaz, Mushaf, Minhas, Masroor, and Faisal, with emergency tenders detailing needs for communication networks, electronic warfare systems, and ground testing equipment. The confluence of these internal documents and the new US funding package offers a clear picture for analysts: Pakistan’s F-16 operational capabilities and infrastructure were compromised during Operation Sindoor, despite official denials from Islamabad.