US Adds Pakistan to Large-Scale AIM-120C8/D Contract Quwa Premium

On 06 October, the United States Department of War (DoW)/Department of Defense (DoD) quietly added Pakistan to a list of buyers for the Raytheon (RTX) AIM-120C8/D3 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM).

Pakistan’s inclusion came through a $41.68 million adjustment (P00026) to a previously awarded contract (FA8675-23-C-0037) now worth $2.51 billion for AIM-120C8/D to recent NATO and non-NATO customers of the missile.

It is not known how many units of the new AMRAAM the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) could be getting, if at all. However, this announcement might indicate the start of the PAF’s efforts to upgrade its 18 F-16C/D Block-52, which it ordered in 2006-2007 under the Peace Drive program. Under the deal, the PAF acquired 500 AIM-120C5 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, which it utilized operationally in 2019 by shooting down an Indian Air Force MiG-21bis.

The AIM-120C8 is the export variant of the AIM-120D, the current mainstay AMRAAM variant used by the United States. Raytheon (RTX) began testing the C8/D platform in 2023 and the variant has seen orders from a large, and evidently growing, assortment of U.S. allies and partners. 

It is unlikely that this specific contract adjustment includes much for the PAF aside from initial administrative/regulatory processes and, potentially, some units for training or acclimation. However, it does signal that the U.S DoW is willing to support Pakistan with new – and cutting-edge – weapons sales. In other words, this contract may be a prelude to a larger deal approved by the U.S. Department of State. It is worth noting that the PAF’s Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Zaheer Ahmed Babar, visited the U.S. State Department in July. Thus, a larger arms package could be in the works.