Pakistan’s F-16 Block 52 Fleet Eyes AIM-120D AMRAAM Edge

Pakistan’s top air force chief, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, has embarked on a landmark official tour to the United States — the first such visit by a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) commander to Washington in over a decade.

His presence in Washington has triggered intense speculation within defence circles that the PAF is actively lobbying for a major capability boost: the integration of the cutting-edge AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) onto its fleet of 18 combat-proven F-16 Block 52 fighters.

If approved, the procurement could be a pivotal step that reshapes the fragile air power balance across South Asia, a region where BVR (Beyond Visual Range) capabilities increasingly define the tactical advantage in any aerial conflict.

Sources within Pakistan’s defence community indicate that Islamabad’s request specifically targets replacing the older AIM-120C-5 AMRAAMs currently arming its F-16s — a missile variant that has served since the original aircraft deliveries in 2010 but now faces obsolescence against India’s rapidly modernising arsenal.

In an official statement, the Pakistan Air Force confirmed the high-level mission was aimed at “further enhancing bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries.”

During the visit, ACM Zaheer Ahmed held extensive meetings with senior US military and civilian leaders, including US Air Force Chief of Staff General David W. Allvin, and met Kelli L. Seybolt, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs.

“The high-profile visit marked a strategic milestone in Pakistan-US defence cooperation and proved instrumental in deepening institutional ties in addition to addressing key regional and global security issues,” the Pakistani military emphasised, adding that “talks included discussions on interoperability, joint training initiatives, and avenues for technology exchange.”

The AIM-120D AMRAAM represents the most sophisticated evolution of the renowned AMRAAM family — a missile that has become the backbone of the US and NATO’s air dominance strategy for decades.

Its latest variant, the AIM-120D, delivers a quantum leap in BVR engagement ranges, with credible reports citing maximum strike distances exceeding 160 kilometres, depending on launch altitude and aircraft speed.

Such reach dramatically expands the engagement envelope for PAF pilots, empowering them to target hostile aircraft well before crossing the radar horizon — a first-shot advantage that is decisive in modern air-to-air warfare.

One of the standout features of the AIM-120D is its active radar homing seeker, which autonomously locks and tracks its target post-launch, enabling true ‘fire-and-forget’ capability that reduces pilot workload and limits the exposure window for enemy countermeasures.

Equally critical is the missile’s two-way data link, which allows mid-course target updates via the launch aircraft or airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platforms like the PAF’s Saab Erieye, ZDK-03 Karakoram Eagle, and the to-be inducted Chinese KJ-500.

This networked kill chain significantly tightens decision loops, a vital attribute when engaging highly manoeuvrable fourth- or fifth-generation fighters operating at the edges of radar coverage.

Beyond its technological edge, the AIM-120D’s GPS-enhanced guidance system further elevates its accuracy and lethality, ensuring that the missile remains on course even if the target attempts evasive manoeuvres or uses electronic countermeasures.

The system’s proven integration across multiple advanced Western fighter platforms — including the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, F/A-18 Super Hornet, and Eurofighter Typhoon — underscores its combat credibility and logistical compatibility for frontline operations.

For Pakistan, securing access to the AIM-120D would signal a clear intent to sustain air superiority against regional rivals, particularly India, which already fields the Meteor BVR missile on its Rafale fleet — widely considered the gold standard in BVR technology with ranges up to 150 km or more.

The F-16 Block 52s themselves remain a cornerstone of the PAF’s air combat fleet.

Acquired under a USD 1.4 billion (approximately RM6.6 billion) government-to-government deal with the US, the aircraft were delivered in phases starting in 2010 to boost Pakistan’s strike and interception capabilities.

Each F-16 Block 52 is equipped with the AN/APG-68(V)9 radar, giving pilots extended detection ranges and superior situational awareness compared to legacy variants still in service.

Alongside the AIM-120 AMRAAM series, these fighters also deploy AIM-9 Sidewinders for close-range dogfights and can carry a wide range of precision-guided munitions, including laser-guided bombs for multi-role flexibility.

Strategically, these aircraft are based at high-readiness air bases including Shahbaz Air Base in Jacobabad, Mushaf Air Base in Sargodha, and Shahid Asghar Khan Air Base in Kamra — all positioned to monitor sensitive borders with India and Afghanistan.

Regular rotation between bases and joint training exercises with key allies such as Türkiye and the United States keep the fleet and its crews mission-ready under real-world scenarios.

Regional defence experts caution that should Pakistan receive the AIM-120D, India’s Air Force may be forced to accelerate the rollout of its indigenous Astra Mark II BVR missiles or consider additional Meteor stockpiles for its Rafale and upcoming Tejas Mk1A fighters to maintain parity.

Such an upgrade would also expand Pakistan’s confidence to prosecute ‘deep strike’ deterrence patrols, leveraging its AEW&C assets and networked command nodes to track and engage hostile aircraft further away from its sovereign airspace.

In a region already marked by frequent aerial stand-offs, including the highly-publicised 2019 Balakot incident and subsequent dogfight, any enhancement in BVR lethality heightens the stakes for both sides’ rules of engagement and crisis escalation thresholds.

Moreover, the potential deal could test Islamabad’s balancing act with Beijing, given Pakistan’s parallel deepening of its defence ties with China — exemplified by the introduction of the JF-17 Block III fighters, which may in future also field China’s PL-15 BVR missile, a direct competitor to the AIM-120D.

Analysts believe the acquisition, if cleared by Washington, would reaffirm the complex but enduring Pakistan-US security link, while demonstrating that Islamabad retains the political leverage to modernise its air force despite periodic sanctions or policy freezes.

Ultimately, the AIM-120D’s arrival in Pakistani hands would inject a new layer of uncertainty into South Asia’s air combat calculus, amplifying an arms race that now hinges as much on kill-chain efficiency and networked command as raw missile range alone.

In the words of a former senior PAF officer, “BVR supremacy is no longer a luxury; it’s an existential requirement when you face numerically superior air forces across volatile borders.”

For Pakistan, keeping its F-16 Block 52s at the cutting edge could prove pivotal in deterring future aerial incursions and ensuring its pilots maintain a credible first-shot advantage should the next dogfight not remain just a war game.

What is the range of the AIM-120D AMRAAM?

The AIM-120D AMRAAM is capable of engaging aerial targets at distances exceeding 160 kilometres, depending on launch conditions — giving pilots a decisive Beyond Visual Range advantage.