Pakistan Smuggles F-16 Fighter Jet Technology To China; Israel Expert Warns India

Beijing: Critical technology associated with US F-16 fighter jets has reportedly reached China via Pakistan. In fact, the provision of F-16 fighter jets and Link-16 technical support to Pakistan - under the US South Asia policy - has emerged as a major threat to India. China is deriving immense technical advantage from this. According to experts, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has effectively become a "classroom for fighter jets", where China monitors US technology to devise strategies against India. This issue is linked to the deep military alliance between China and Pakistan and the resulting security threats posed to India.

Washington urges India to stand firm against China in the Indo-Pacific region, yet it simultaneously sustains Pakistan's highly sensitive US combat ecosystem. This is not a balance; it is a risky endeavor that could expose India's vulnerabilities. Through hangars, radars, simulators, mission files, maintenance lines, and data links located in Pakistan, China prepares for potential conflict with India.

How is the US benefiting Pakistan?

Israeli defense expert Shay Gal has highlighted the threat India faces regarding the F-16s. Writing for *The Eurasian Times*, he noted that in December 2025, Washington approved a $686 million support package for Pakistan's F-16 fleet. This package encompassed not only spare parts and maintenance but also Link-16 systems, cryptographic equipment, avionics upgrades, identification systems, secure communications, navigation tools, mission software, simulators, training, and logistical support. The stated objective was to extend the F-16s' service life and enhance security, communication, and interoperability.

Defence experts in Delhi view this US package with deep skepticism, as Link-16 is not merely a radio system but functions as a "nervous system". Experts state that when the US integrates this system into Pakistan's F-16 aircraft, it is not merely selling hardware made of metal and wires; rather, it is granting Pakistan access to the West's most secretive and advanced methods of warfare.

What is Link 16?

Shay Gal writes that it is not just a means of data transfer but a system that organizes the entire battlefield. It is a secure, jam-proof network that connects airborne fighter jets, naval warships, ground-based missile systems, and headquarters commanders onto a single live display.

How does it pose a threat to India?

Writing for the *Eurasian Times*, Shay Gal notes that if Pakistan possesses this technology, China inevitably gains access to it. In Beijing, every electronic signature, cyber entry point, radar blind spot, specific operational procedure, weapon bypass, and strategic detail is recorded, analyzed, and weaponized. Beijing pursues this information-gathering process on a massive scale.

China acquires this information from Pakistan through purchase, copying, coercion, transfers, and hacking. It obtains data via students, companies, suppliers, joint ventures, supply chains, cyber channels, laboratories, open markets, and the military industry. It has employed similar tactics in sectors such as electronics, rail, telecommunications, cyber technology, artificial intelligence, drones, space, and aviation. By turning information gathering into a systematic process and leveraging it for its own gain, China creates a direct threat to India.