Naval Aircraft Match-Ups: Pakistan Vs. India

Naval bombers fulfill an important role in warfare at sea. In modern warfare, first and foremost this role is to make use of aircraft with great stamina to hunt for and destroy submarines. Meanwhile, just as important for many countries with miles of sea coast, but no aircraft carriers, are land-based anti-ship strike aircraft. During the last naval conflict of substance, the 1982 Falklands War, it was from land that Argentine jets made their devastating attacks with Exocet anti-ship missiles on the Royal Navy. One must never forget that battles at sea in the truly open, deep reaches of the Oceans are rare, and most engagements take place close to valuable land targets.

Pakistan

Pakistan's Air Force operates a small squadron of Mirage V fighters that have been assigned the naval strike role. This gives these venerable, 1960s era delta-winged aircraft a key role in defending Pakistani shores from naval incursions. The Pakistani Air Force is currently engaged in extending the lifespan of these fighters with an upgrade program. That is outfitting them with modern digital cockpits and infrared bombing capability. The plane can carry a mix of 8,800 lbs of bombs, missiles, rockets, and drop tanks on five external hard-points, and has a maximum speed of 1,460 mph.

The Pakistani Navy flies the American-made P-3C Orion. This is a four engined turboprop aircraft, with a top speed of 405 knots, a maximum range of 5,600 miles without refueling, and weapons load of 20,000 lbs. This redoubtable aircraft was designed to meet the US Navy's needs for long range reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare. As a sub hunter, the plane is outstanding, and can carry and drop sonobouys, torpedoes, mines, and depth charges. It can also attack surface targets with a range of weapons, including Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Maverick anti-tank missiles.

India

India's main long range naval bomber is the Soviet-made Tupolev 124, a classic example of its kind. It is also a 4 engine turboprop, with a maximum speed of 500 knots and a maximum range 3,400 miles. It's exact payload is unknown, but is believed to be over 20,000 lbs. It is optimized for anti-submarine patrol duty, and has no known anti-surface capability.

The Indian Navy's strike role is filled by its growing arm of carrier aircraft. The current mainstay of the carrier fleet is the British Sea Harrier, a veteran of the Falklands War. These very maneuverable planes are proven dog fighters, have S/VTOL capability, a maximum speed of 735 mph, and a combat radius of 540 miles. They were recently upgraded with a new Indian-made electronics suite, and carry in a 5,000 lbs payload the Rafael Derby medium-range AAM, the short-range Matra Magic-II AAM, bombs, and the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile.

The future of the Indian Navy's air arm, however, is in the navalized MiG-29. First introduced by the Soviets in 1983, the Indians are now the principal heir of the naval version of this fighter. This twin-engined, modern multi-role jet was the Russian answer to the F-16, and the Indian's naval version is in many ways superior. Compared with regular versions of the MiG-29, it has better engines, can carry more weapons at 12,000 lbs, has superior avionics and electronics, and a radar-absorbent coat that makes the plane 4 to 5 times smaller on radar than the normal MiG-29. Although not yet operating off of carriers, these planes began service with the Indian Navy in 2007.

RESULTS: TIE!

Who has the better planes here depends entirely on which naval air job one is asking about. The Pakistani PC-3 Orion has a longer range and more flexible ordinance package than India's Tu-124s, making it a much better long range naval bomber.

However, the Indians totally outclass the Pakistanis when it comes to naval strike fighters. The Sea Harrier is a better fighter than the Mirage V, but the Pakistani jet would never operate in a place where it could not be supported by more able fighters, and as a bomber the Mirage V is better than the Sea Harrier. However, the MiG-29s now coming into service with the Indian Navy are superior to the Mirage V in every way, and can defend themselves to boot.

Sources: http://www.paknavy.gov.pk/; globalsecurity.com; http://indiannavy.nic.in/