Pakistan likely to acquire advanced air to air AIM-120 missiles from US: Report

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir with US President Donald Trump at their meeting at the White House last month.(Image: PTI)

Pakistan is expected to obtain the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) from the United States, signalling an apparent upswing in relations between the two nations, The Express Tribune reported on Tuesday.

A recent notification by the United States Department of War (DoW), formerly the Department of Defence, included Pakistan among several countries listed as recipients of the AIM-120 missiles. The notice states that Raytheon, the missile’s manufacturer, received a modification worth over USD 41.6 million to a “previously awarded contract (FA8675-23-C-0037)” under a “firm-fixed-price (P00026)” arrangement.

According to the DoW document, the updated contract, which now totals over USD 2.51 billion, covers foreign military sales to multiple countries -- among them Pakistan, the UK, Poland, Germany, Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Work related to this order is scheduled for completion by the end of May 2030.

While the number of AMRAAM missiles destined for Pakistan remains uncertain, the news has stirred speculation regarding possible upgrades to the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) fleet of F-16 fighter jets. The missiles are only compatible with the F-16s in PAF service and were reportedly used during the 2019 aerial engagement in which an Indian Air Force MiG-21 flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was downed.

“The 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 reads.

In July, Pakistan Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar paid a visit to the US State Department, marking another indication of improving defence cooperation between the two countries.

Defence outlet Quwa noted that the AIM-120C8 represents the export equivalent of the AIM-120D, currently the most advanced AMRAAM variant in American service. Pakistan’s air force already fields the earlier C5 version, around 500 of which were acquired with its Block 52 F-16s in 2010.

This latest move follows what observers describe as a notable thaw in US-Pakistan relations in the wake of the four-day military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May. Pakistan publicly thanked US President Donald Trump for “arranging a ceasefire” and even suggested his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

India, however, maintains that the agreement to halt hostilities was reached directly between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries’ armed forces.