Pak likely to receive AIM-120 air-to-air missiles from US: Report
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan is likely to receive the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) from the US, amidst improvement in ties between the two countries, a media report said on Tuesday.
An arms contract recently notified by the United States Department of War (DoW), formerly Department of Defence, lists Pakistan among the buyers for AIM-120 AMRAAM, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
According to the DoW, Raytheon - the manufacturer of the AMRAAM - was given a modification of over USD 41.6 million on a "previously awarded contract (FA8675-23-C-0037)" based on "firm-fixed-price (P00026)" for the production of the missile's C8 and D3 variants.
The modification, which includes Pakistan among its foreign military sales recipients, raises the total value of the contract to over USD 2.51 billion.
"This contract involves foreign military sales to UK, Poland, Pakistan, Germany, Finland, Australia, Romania, Qatar, Oman, Korea, Greece, Switzerland, Portugal, Singapore, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Japan, Slovakia, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Norway, Spain, Kuwait, Finland, Sweden, Taiwan, Lithuania, Israel, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Turkey," the notification states.
It adds that work on the order is expected to be completed by the end of May 2030.
Although it remains unclear as to exactly how many, if any, new AMRAAM missiles would be delivered to Pakistan, the development has triggered speculation about potential upgrades to the Pakistan Air Force's F-16 fleet.
In PAF service, the AMRAAM is compatible exclusively with the F-16 fighter jet and was reportedly used to shoot down the Indian Air Force MiG-21 flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman in February 2019, according to the newspaper.
Notably, PAF Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar visited the US State Department in July.
According to the defence publication Quwa, the AIM-120C8 is the export version of the AIM-120D, the main AMRAAM variant in US service. The PAF currently operates the earlier C5 variant, 500 of which were acquired alongside its latest Block 52 F-16s in 2010, the paper said.
The development comes as relations between the two countries showed marked improvement following the four-day military conflict between Pakistan and India in May.
Pakistan credited US President Donald Trump for arranging a ceasefire and topped it by proposing his name for the Nobel Peace Prize.
India has consistently maintained that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries.
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Former minister C M Ibrahim announces to launch new regional party for Karnataka
Kalaburagi: Two years after being expelled from the Janata Dal (Secular), former minister C.M. Ibrahim has announced that he will launch a new regional political party in Karnataka on January 24, reported Deccan Herald.
Speaking at a meeting organised by the Nava Karnataka Nirmana Andolana in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Ibrahim confirmed the birth of the new party.
The 77-year-old politician stated he would soon be meeting with other like-minded individuals to choose a symbol for the party.
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Ibrahim emphasised that the organisation would be guided by the principles of 12th-century social reformer Basavanna and the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
A veteran politician, Ibrahim served as Union Civil Aviation Minister during the tenure of H.D. Deve Gowda as Prime Minister and later headed the Karnataka unit of the Janata Dal (Secular). He was expelled from the JD(S) in 2023 on charges of anti-party activities.
His exit from the party followed sharp differences over the JD(S) decision to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As the then state president of the JD(S), Ibrahim had publicly criticised the alliance, claiming it was finalised without his knowledge. He had also reportedly convened meetings of his supporters and expressed support for the INDIA bloc.
