2025-05-10T09:59:00Z

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Tanks were spotted being transported on a road in Muridke, Pakistan, on Wednesday, highlighting ongoing military activities in the region. The military dynamics between India and Pakistan have always been complex and contentious, and a recent report sheds light on the stark differences in their defense capabilities.

According to this year’s edition of “The Military Balance,” published by the esteemed International Institute for Strategic Studies, India’s military budget significantly outstrips that of Pakistan. In fact, India’s defense budget is over nine times larger than Pakistan’s, a disparity that showcases the vast financial resources India allocates to its armed forces.

This substantial budget supports a formidable active-duty military force in India, which boasts approximately 1.5 million personnel. In comparison, Pakistan’s active-duty military stands at around 660,000 troops. These numbers reveal not just a difference in funding but also in the sheer scale of military manpower available to each country.

When taking a closer look at their land forces, India possesses a robust army that includes about 1.2 million soldiers. This army is equipped with a significant arsenal that includes 3,750 main battle tanks and over 10,000 artillery pieces. In contrast, Pakistan’s tank force is limited to approximately two-thirds the size of India’s, and its artillery count falls short, with fewer than half of the artillery pieces compared to New Delhi’s resources.

The maritime capabilities of India further highlight its military superiority. The Indian Navy maintains a powerful fleet that includes two aircraft carriers, 12 guided-missile destroyers, 11 guided-missile frigates, and 16 attack submarines. On the other hand, Pakistan's naval capabilities are notably constrained; it has no aircraft carriers and lacks guided-missile destroyers, relying instead on 11 smaller guided-missile frigates to form the core of its naval strength. Additionally, Pakistan operates only half the number of submarines that India fields.

In the air, both nations depend primarily on older Soviet-era aircraft. India operates MiG-21 fighters, while Pakistan uses the Chinese counterpart, the J-7. However, India has made significant investments in modernizing its air force, recently adding multirole French-made Rafale jets to its fleet, with 36 currently in service.

Conversely, Pakistan has bolstered its aerial capabilities by incorporating Chinese J-10 multirole jets, of which more than 20 are now operational. Despite having a fleet of US-made F-16 fighters, the backbone of Pakistan’s air force has increasingly become the JF-17, a joint venture with China that was introduced in the early 2000s, with around 150 of these jets in service.

The air forces of both countries also include Russian-made aircraft. India operates more than 100 MiG-29 fighters in both its air force and navy, supplemented by over 260 Su-30 ground attack jets. This assortment of advanced aircraft contributes to India's comprehensive air defense strategy.

While the conventional military capabilities of India and Pakistan are markedly different, the balance of power becomes more nuanced when considering their nuclear arsenals. Both countries possess around five dozen surface-to-surface launchers, though India’s ballistic missiles have greater range compared to those of Pakistan. This nuclear parity adds a layer of complexity to their longstanding rivalry.