Pakistan to get advanced air-to-air missiles from US as friendship grows after Trump and Asim Munir meeting

PTC Web Desk:  In a move signalling renewed military cooperation between Islamabad and Washington, the United States has confirmed the supply of AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) to Pakistan, according to an official statement by the US Department of War (DoW).

The notification, part of a modified arms contract recently released by the DoW (formerly known as the Department of Defense), includes Pakistan among the list of confirmed international buyers of the Raytheon-built missile system. Under this updated agreement, Raytheon Technologies has received an additional USD 41.6 million on its existing contract (FA8675-23-C-0037), increasing the total value to over USD 2.51 billion. The deal also extends to several allied nations, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, with all related production expected to conclude by May 2030.

Defence experts believe Pakistan’s inclusion in the AMRAAM programme could be part of a larger plan to modernise the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) F-16 fleet. The AMRAAM missile system is exclusively compatible with the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the frontline aircraft of the PAF. The same weapon was reportedly used during the 2019 aerial encounter in which a PAF pilot allegedly shot down an Indian Air Force MiG-21, flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

According to leading defence publication Quwa, the AIM-120C8 missile, part of the new order, represents the export version of the AIM-120D, the latest and most sophisticated variant in US service. Pakistan currently operates the older AIM-120C5 missiles, acquired with its F-16 Block 52 jets in 2010.

This development coincides with a noticeable warming of US-Pakistan relations. Last month, US President Donald Trump met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in Washington DC. The visit followed a one-on-one meeting between Munir and Trump at the Oval Office earlier in June. Additionally, PAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar held discussions at the US State Department in July, further underlining the improving bilateral ties.

The diplomatic thaw gained momentum after the brief India-Pakistan conflict in May, during which Islamabad credited Trump for facilitating a ceasefire and even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. New Delhi, however, dismissed the claim, clarifying that the ceasefire resulted from direct DGMO-level communications between both nations.

With the inclusion of Pakistan in the AMRAAM contract, analysts suggest that this could mark the revival of defence cooperation between the two countries after years of strained military relations.