ALSO ON RT.COM On the verge of disaster: How an India-Pakistan armed confrontation could impact the region RT has asked a retired colonel and a military analyst, Mikhail Khodarenok, what else the two old foes might have up their sleeves in case of a full-scale aerial combat.
In any potential air battle, India has to mostly rely on the Soviet Mig-29, which was developed in the late 1970s to counter US fighter jets such as F-15 and F-16, Khodarenok said. Initially designed as an air superiority fighter, MiG-29 was later furnished as a multirole aircraft that can be equipped with a range of air-to-air and air-to-surface armaments and precision munitions.
Another of India’s option involves Su-30MKI – a twinjet multirole air superiority fighter developed by Russia's Sukhoi in late 1990s and introduced only in 2002. Produced locally by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), it is one of India’s most modern military planes, which characteristics are close to those of Russia’s Su-35, distinguished by its high maneuverability.
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RT ✔ @RT_com India-Pakistan flare-up: Could it escalate into full-fledged war? https://on.rt.com/9p60 366 4:57 PM - Feb 27, 2019 301 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Additionally, New Delhi might rely on its French-made Dassault Mirage 2000 fourth-generation fighters, which are relatively similar to MiG-29s. The list of aircraft Pakistan can possibly set against its rival mostly includes older versions of the French Dassault Mirage aircraft series, such as Mirage 4 and Mirage 5. Developed back in 1960s, these aircraft were traditionally equipped mostly with various air-to-surface armaments, Khodarenok said.
Apart from F-16s, which remain Pakistan’s most modern western-produced fighters, Islamabad also wields a large number of Chinese-made aircraft, although their types and characteristics are unknown.
When it comes to air defense, both sides have little to boast about, the military analyst believes. Their air defense systems are relatively few in number and are far from the most-advanced weapons of our time.
Islamabad possesses a Chinese equivalent of an old Soviet S-75 high-altitude air defense system, which is also known under its NATO reporting name SA-2 Guideline. Although, the exact specifications of the Chinese system are not known, its Soviet-made analogue was first produced back in 1957. In addition, it also has a French all-weather short-range anti-air missile, Crotale, produced since the late 1970s and still operated by France as well.
However, both sides are unlikely to unleash their arsenals as neither are interested in escalating the conflict to an all-out war, Khodarenok said. New Delhi and Islamabad would likely limit themselves to some belligerent statements followed by an effort to ease the tensions, he concluded.