Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Ageing US-Supplied F-16s Struggled Against India During Operation Sindoor
Pakistan has fighter jets called F-16s that were made in the United States many years ago.
During a short war with India in May 2025, these old jets had problems.
Their missiles could not travel as far as the missiles on India's newer planes.
A retired Pakistani Air Force officer said this made leaders careful about sending F-16s into battle.
Pakistan has started buying newer fighter jets from China instead.
The Chinese jets can shoot their missiles about three times farther.
Pakistan says it shot down several of India's Rafale jets, but India says that is not true.
The war started after an attack in Pahalgam, where 26 tourists were killed.
India called its response Operation Sindoor.
Pakistan's ageing US-supplied F-16s struggled during the 2025 conflict with India because of limited missile range, according to a retired Pakistan Air Force officer as reported by Military Watch Magazine.
The F-16s' AIM-120C-5 missiles have an effective range of about 100 km, and commanders reportedly became cautious about deploying the jets near the frontline.
Pakistan has increasingly relied on Chinese jets such as the JF-17 and J-10C, whose PL-15 missile is estimated by Jane's Defence to have a maximum range of about 300 km.
Pakistani sources claimed multiple Indian Rafale jets were shot down, but India strongly denied the claims, which remain disputed and unverified.
India named its four-day counter-offensive Operation Sindoor, which ran from 7 to 10 May 2025, following the Pahalgam attack on 22 April 2025 that killed 26 civilians.
- Who
- A retired Pakistan Air Force officer, whose assessment was reported by Military Watch Magazine; the assessment concerns the Indian and Pakistani air forces.
- What
- Pakistan's ageing US-supplied F-16 fighters struggled against India during Operation Sindoor due to limited missile range and capability gaps with newer Chinese jets.
- When
- Operation Sindoor ran from 7 to 10 May 2025; the Pahalgam attack that triggered the conflict occurred on 22 April 2025.
- Where
- The conflict was between India and Pakistan, involving the region of Jammu and Kashmir.
- Why
- India shifted from strategic restraint toward large-scale conventional military force after Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 civilians in the Pahalgam attack, and F-16s were reportedly limited by missile range when approaching Indian fighters.
Pakistan's Claims
India's Denials
Rafale Shootdown Claims
Pakistan's Claims
Pakistani sources claim that multiple Indian Rafale fighter jets were shot down during the conflict, saying the J-10C gave Pakistan a notable advantage.
India's Denials
India has strongly denied Pakistan's claims of shooting down multiple Rafale jets; the claims remain disputed and unverified independently.
F-16 Combat Effectiveness
Pakistan's Claims
The retired officer's assessment holds that ageing F-16s with limited missile range struggled and made commanders cautious about deploying them extensively.
India's Denials
F-16s remained central to Pakistan's fighter fleet for decades, were modernised with radar-guided missiles in the early 2000s, and played key roles in the 2019 confrontation.
- Conflict
- Operation Sindoor (India's counter-offensive)
- Duration
- Four days, 7-10 May 2025
- Aircraft in focus
- Ageing US-supplied F-16 fighter jets
- F-16 missile range
- AIM-120C-5, effective range around 100 km
- Chinese jet missile range
- PL-15, estimated maximum range around 300 km (Jane's Defence)
- F-16 acquisition
- Pakistan first acquired F-16s in the early 1980s
- Possible F-16 retirement
- Reportedly could occur by the mid-2030s
- Trigger
- Pahalgam attack on 22 April 2025, killing 26 civilians, mostly tourists