Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aircraft was escorted by UAE's F16 jets as he arrived in Abu Dhabi for the first leg of his five-nation tour. He is scheduled to meet with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss bilateral issues, including energy cooperation, and regional and international matters.
Pakistan is negotiating with the US to get 14 F-16 combat jets in addition to the 18 fighters whose delivery will begin later this year, air force chief Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman said on Saturday.
At least a dozen Pakistani military aircraft including F-16 jets were destroyed or damaged in Indian strikes during Operation Sindoor, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A P Singh said on Friday while describing Islamabad's claim of India's losses as "fanciful stories".
Pakistan will explore other options to meet its defence needs if the deal for F-16s did not materialise with the United States, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Tuesday said
Foreign secretary Vikram Misri on Friday shared key details on agreements between India and the UAE, stating that the UAE will store up to 30 million barrels of crude oil in India's strategic petroleum reserve following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit.
Pakistan has received the first three upgraded F-16 fighter aircrafts with an official saying the aircraft could be used to deal with "all internal and external threats". An official spokesman claimed Pakistan would be the only country besides Israel to get the latest version of the F-16, reflecting the strategic relations between Islamabad and Washington.
Defence Minister Chaudry Ahmad Mukhtar, a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari, informed US Ambassador Anne Patterson about the defence requirements of Pakistan, particularly the provision of F-16 aircraft.
Earlier, reports had said that the US did not want to deliver the systems that can be used for carrying a nuclear warhead.
The development comes as relations between the two countries showed marked improvement following the four-day military conflict between Pakistan and India in May.
Iran's claim comes after United States President Donald Trump confirmed that the military rescued the second F-15 crew member, who had gone missing after Iran downed the jet amid the West Asia conflict.
They have also urged the Obama administration to review its decision in this regard.
Pakistan is trying to get more F-16s from the US as well as looking towards countries like Russia and France for new aircraft to replace old ones to match India's defence purchases.
With regard to the sale of the new 18 F-16's that Pakistan has requested -- the C/D block 50/52s combat aircraft, he said, "We have not come to a final decision on how to proceed with this, and I know your body is looking at it very carefully," Holbrooke told Congressman Gary Ackerman, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South Asia.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will be summoning US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey India's "displeasure".
Military officials released new video on Monday of a close encounter between a Russian fighter jet and a US Air Force F-16 interceptor near Alaska, Associated Press has reported.
The incident was reported when Pakistan airspace was not closed for India.
In 2025, India launched Operation Sindoor, a multi-domain combat mission against Pakistan in response to cross-border terrorism. The operation involved precision strikes, military retaliation, and diplomatic measures, marking a significant shift in India's security policy.
Pakistan is considering creating a new position of 'Commander of Defence Forces' (CDF) to improve coordination and unified command among its military services, according to media reports. The move is part of broader defence reforms and is reportedly influenced by recent conflicts and the evolving nature of modern warfare.
Asserting that the sale of F-16 to Pakistan is a sign of the burgeoning relationship between the two countries, the Pentagon on Friday said that another $600 million is en route to Islamabad in the next few weeks.At the same time, the Pentagon official observed that sending more United States personnel to the country and procuring visas for them continue to be a major bottleneck.The United States is sending nearly 50 additional personnel to Pakistan in June.
Pakistan on Saturday brought in a Constitutional amendment to create a new post of chief of defence forces to ensure greater coordination and unified command among the three services.
"Whether it was F-16 or JF-17 which shot down 2 Indian aircraft is immaterial," Pak military spokesman said.
The Pakistan Army has criticized recent remarks by Indian military officers and political leaders, warning that a future conflict between the two countries could lead to "cataclysmic devastation." The statement follows comments from Indian officials regarding India's ability to cross borders and the potential for military action against Pakistan.
'During the aerial engagement, one MiG 21 Bison of the IAF shot down an F-16 in Nowshera sector,' the IAF said in a statement.
The Indian Air Force on Monday reiterated that it shot down an F-16 jet of Pakistan Air Force during the February 27 aerial combat and showed radar images of the engagement to assert that it has 'irrefutable evidence' of downing the enemy jet.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has denied claims by the Indian Air Force that it shot down Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor, calling the assertions 'implausible' and 'ill-timed'.
The IAF had said that during the aerial engagement on February 27, one of its MiG-21 Bison shot down a F-16.
'The Pentagon has agreed to help suffice the country's defence needs to effectively check the imbalance of power being created by India,' Pakistan Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz said.
Essentially there is no change in the US policy on the security aid to Pakistan which is currently under freeze.
Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri, told Press TV that the Nevatim air base, the Netzarim military facility and the Tel Nof intelligence unit, were hit in the Tuesday night attack dubbed 'Operation True Promise II'.
Clashes erupted between Thailand and Cambodia along the border between their countries on Thursday, killing at least 11 people and injuring several others, according to the state-run Thai Public Broadcasting Service.
The Biden administration has approved a $450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment programme to Pakistan to help it meet current and future counterterrorism threats, in Washington's first major security assistance to Islamabad in four years.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who was on a visit to the US last month, said that America's relationship with Pakistan has "not served" either of the two countries and raised questions on the Biden administration's approval of a USD 450-million sustenance package for the F-16 fleet.
The MiG-21 episode demonstrates that procurement is always strategic.
Choices about what aircraft to acquire, who builds them, who supplies the spares, who trains the pilots and technicians are decisions with political consequences lasting for decades.
The NASA-ISRO NISAR mission has entered its 90-day commissioning phase, involving rigorous checks and calibrations to prepare the satellite for Earth observation. Scientists highlight the collaborative benefits and technological advancements of the mission.
The two nations had agreed on $700 million deal under which Pakistan was to pay $270 million (Rs 179 crore) from its national funds to purchase eight F-16s while the US was supposed to finance the rest of the amount from its Foreign Military Financing fund.
America's relationship with Pakistan has 'not served' either of the two countries, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday raising questions on the Biden administration's approval of a $450-million sustenance package for F-16 fleet.
The imaging technology in Nisar can provide very high-resolution data on changes as small as one centimetre in size on the earth's surface.
With this, Tata has now become the oldest Indian to fly the American-made aircraft. Tata, who holds a pilot's licence, had said the thought of the F-16 flight "excites me very much."
In a tweet, Pakistani military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said, "Repetitions don't make truth of a lie. Despite claiming possession of evidence on shooting F16, IAF still short of presenting it."
The move has now been stalled as lawmakers raised questions about the end use of the combat aircraft.
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