Conflict catalog

2019 India-Pakistan Border Skirmishes: Weapons and Equipment

A short India-Pakistan crisis after the Pulwama attack, including the Balakot airstrike and reciprocal air operations across the Line of Control.

The 2019 India-Pakistan Border Skirmishes were a brief but dangerous crisis triggered by the 14 February Pulwama bombing, escalated by India's 26 February Balakot strike, Pakistan's 27 February retaliatory air operation, and the release of a captured Indian pilot on 1 March. The catalog is centered on cross-border airpower, precision-guided bombs, short-range air combat, air defense, and LoC mortar and artillery fire rather than broad force-structure claims.

This catalog covers weapons and aircraft directly documented in the February-March 2019 India-Pakistan border skirmishes.

Entries should be limited to systems tied to the Pulwama attack aftermath, Balakot strike, reciprocal air operations, or directly sourced military use during the crisis.

21 weapon systems

Conflict Actors

India / Pakistan

India

8 weapon systems in this catalog

Pakistan

13 weapon systems in this catalog
  • Pakistan

Context

Status
Published catalog
Location
Line of Control and adjacent Kashmir frontier between India and Pakistan
Countries
India, Pakistan
Regions
Jammu and Kashmir, Azad Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Domains
air, land, air defense, artillery, border clashes, missile strikes

The catalog should stay tightly scoped to systems directly tied to the Balakot strike, the 27 February air engagement, and the short-range border fire that followed. The strongest entries are aircraft, air-to-air missiles, precision-guided bombs, air-defense systems, mortars, artillery, and tanks that are directly named in dated reporting or official statements; broad fleet inventories and disputed battle-damage claims should not be added without direct system-specific sourcing.

Map

Line of Control and adjacent Kashmir frontier between India and Pakistan

Open map

Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Timeline

Key Events

  1. Pulwama attack triggers crisis

    A suicide bombing against a CRPF convoy in Pulwama killed dozens of Indian security personnel and set off the escalation that followed over the next two weeks.

    Sources: PIB Pulwama condemnation

  2. India strikes a JeM camp at Balakot

    India said it carried out a strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp at Balakot, framing the action as retaliation for the Pulwama attack.

    Sources: MEA Balakot strike statement

  3. Pakistan retaliates and an aerial engagement follows

    Pakistan announced retaliatory air operations and India later said a Pakistan Air Force fighter was shot down by a MiG-21 Bison during the aerial engagement over the frontier.

    Sources: MEA 27 February statement

  4. Captured pilot returned to India

    Pakistan handed captured Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman back to India at the Wagah border, signaling a de-escalatory turn after the air battle.

    Sources: Dawn pilot handover

Phases

Feb 14, 2019 - Feb 25, 2019

Pulwama trigger and retaliation buildup

The crisis began with the Pulwama bombing and a rapid political and military escalation as India prepared a response and both sides increased readiness along the frontier.

Feb 26, 2019 - Mar 1, 2019

Balakot strike and air battle

India's cross-border strike at Balakot, Pakistan's retaliatory air operation, and the resulting dogfight made the catalog heavily air-centric, with air defense and precision-guided munitions also in view.

External Support

No foreign combat coalition or expeditionary force is documented for this crisis. External context is mainly supplier context: the public catalog page reflects bilateral Indian and Pakistani forces using long-standing foreign-origin aircraft, munitions, and air-defense systems, but the 2019 skirmishes themselves were fought by the two states' own militaries across the Line of Control.

Images

Map of the India-Pakistan border and the Line of Control in Kashmir.
Map of the India-Pakistan border and the Line of Control, the core geography for the 2019 border skirmishes.Nilesh shukla / Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0Source: Nilesh shukla / Wikimedia Commons

Weapons

2019 India-Pakistan Border Skirmishes Weapon Systems

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

7/7
PAC/CAC JF-17 Thunder fighter, Multirole combat aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsPAC/CAC JF-17 Thunder fighterMultirole combat aircraftSide: PakistanRole: Retaliatory strike fighterBuilt: Pakistan Aeronautical Complex / Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group / Pakistan / ChinaThe PAC/CAC JF-17 Thunder is a Pakistan-China single-engine multirole fighter built around affordable air-defense, strike, and export service. Pakistan fields it as a backbone fast jet, Nigerian officials tie the type to counter-insurgency operations, and public reporting links JF-17 strike packages to Pakistan's 2019 and 2025 India-Pakistan confrontations.
F-16 Fighting Falcon, Multirole fighter aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsF-16 Fighting FalconMultirole fighter aircraftSide: PakistanRole: Offensive sweep and air-to-air interceptionBuilt: General Dynamics / Lockheed Martin / United StatesThe F-16 Fighting Falcon is a U.S.-designed single-engine multirole fighter family used for air defense, air-to-air combat, suppression support, and precision strike missions. This entry covers the F-16C/D production branch requested by the F-16C designation alongside F-16AM/BM MLU aircraft documented from Kosovo and Libya to Ukrainian service.
Dassault Mirage III/5, Single-engine delta-wing multirole fighter family, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsDassault Mirage III/5Single-engine delta-wing multirole fighter familySide: PakistanRole: Stand-off strike guidanceBuilt: Dassault Aviation / FranceThe Dassault Mirage III/5 is a French single-engine, delta-wing fighter family that evolved from the Mirage III interceptor into the Mirage 5 strike derivative. Exported widely and adapted by multiple air arms, it saw combat from the 1967 Six-Day War and 1969 War of Attrition through the Falklands, Paquisha, 1966 South African Border War, and Pakistan's 2019 air crisis.
Mirage 2000, Single-engine multirole fighter aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsMirage 2000Single-engine multirole fighter aircraftSide: IndiaRole: Cross-border precision strikeBuilt: Dassault Aviation / FranceThe Mirage 2000 is Dassault Aviation's French single-engine delta-wing fighter family, built around air-defense and strike variants. The Mirage 2000-5 branch modernized the air-defense Mirage with RDY-family radar, HOTAS and glass-cockpit avionics, and MICA air-to-air missiles; the catalog tracks its use from Indian high-altitude strike missions in the 1999 Kargil War to French expeditionary operations and Ukraine's 2025 wartime introduction of French-supplied Mirage 2000-5 aircraft.
Sukhoi Su-30, Twin-engine multirole fighter aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSukhoi Su-30Twin-engine multirole fighter aircraftSide: IndiaRole: Combat air patrol and interceptionBuilt: Sukhoi / Irkut Corporation / Hindustan Aeronautics Limited / Russia / IndiaThe Sukhoi Su-30 is a two-seat, twin-engine multirole fighter family derived from the Su-27. Indian Su-30MKI aircraft are license-built by Hindustan Aeronautics and adapted for BrahMos carriage, while Russian Su-30SM-family aircraft are documented in Syria and over the Black Sea during the Russia-Ukraine War.
F-16BM MLU, Two-seat multirole fighter aircraft upgrade, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsF-16BM MLUTwo-seat multirole fighter aircraft upgradeSide: PakistanRole: Beyond-visual-range fighter and defensive counter-air platformBuilt: General Dynamics / Lockheed Martin / United StatesThe F-16BM MLU is the two-seat Mid-Life Update version of the F-16B, modernized with F-16C/D-style avionics, radar-guided missile capability, and updated cockpit systems while retaining the basic F-16 airframe. It is relevant as both a combat-capable trainer and an operational multirole fighter; public sources tie the wider F-16AM/BM MLU fleet to Kosovo, Libya, Pakistan's 2019 India-Pakistan air clash, and AM/BM aircraft supplied to Ukraine during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
MiG-21 Bison, Upgraded supersonic fighter-interceptor, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsMiG-21 BisonUpgraded supersonic fighter-interceptorSide: IndiaRole: Air-defense interceptorBuilt: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited / Mikoyan / India / RussiaThe MiG-21 Bison was India's final MiG-21bis upgrade, combining the Soviet-origin Fishbed airframe with a Kopyo radar, modern navigation/attack avionics, countermeasures, helmet-cued short-range missile employment, and beyond-visual-range missile compatibility. Its most tightly documented combat use in the catalog is the 27 February 2019 India-Pakistan aerial engagement over Kashmir; the type left Indian Air Force service in September 2025.

Category

Air Defense

Systems that contest aircraft, missiles, helicopters, and drones.

1/1
SPYDER surface-to-air missile system, Short- and medium-range surface-to-air missile system, Air DefenseAir DefenseSPYDER surface-to-air missile systemShort- and medium-range surface-to-air missile systemSide: IndiaRole: Quick-reaction border air defenseBuilt: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems / IsraelSPYDER is Rafael's Israeli mobile air-defense family built around Python-5 imaging-infrared and Derby active-radar interceptors. The family spans slant-launch and vertical-launch configurations for point, area, and maneuver-force defense, and Indian forces used the system during the 2019 India-Pakistan Border Skirmishes.

Category

Artillery

Tube artillery, rocket artillery, and long-range ground fires.

3/3
155 mm FH77B Bofors howitzer, 155 mm towed howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery155 mm FH77B Bofors howitzer155 mm towed howitzerSide: IndiaRole: Retaliatory line-of-control artillery fireBuilt: BAE Systems Bofors / SwedenThe 155 mm FH77B Bofors howitzer is a Swedish towed artillery piece developed by Bofors from the FH77A family and widely known in India as the Bofors gun. The export B-model retained the FH77 family’s auxiliary power unit for short self-movement, but used a longer 39-caliber barrel, screw breech, bag charges, and NATO-standard 155 mm ammunition. India’s 410-gun procurement made the FH77B a long-lived part of Indian Army artillery, with direct source-backed use in the 1999 Kargil War and later Line of Control firing in 2019 and 2025.

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

8/9
SPICE 2000/Mk 84 guided-bomb configuration, Air-delivered precision-guided bomb, MunitionsMunitionsSPICE 2000/Mk 84 guided-bomb configurationAir-delivered precision-guided bombSide: IndiaRole: Stand-off precision strike bombBuilt: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems / IsraelThe SPICE 2000/Mk 84 guided-bomb configuration pairs Rafael's SPICE guidance kit with a 2,000-pound Mk 84-series bomb body to create a stand-off, electro-optically guided air-to-surface weapon. Sources tie the configuration to Indian Air Force strikes in 2019 and reported 2025 use, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, and AP-documented Israeli use in Beirut during the 2023 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict.
AIM-120C-5 AMRAAM air-to-air missile, Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, MunitionsMunitionsAIM-120C-5 AMRAAM air-to-air missileBeyond-visual-range air-to-air missileSide: PakistanRole: Beyond-visual-range air-to-air interceptBuilt: Raytheon / United StatesThe AIM-120C-5 AMRAAM is a U.S.-built beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile variant with active radar homing and the narrower C-series airframe. AMRAAM entered U.S. service in September 1991, SIPRI recorded a 2003 export deal for 106 AIM-120C-5 missiles, and Pakistan Air Force F-16s were reported firing the type in the 2019 border clash.
AIM-120C/D AMRAAM air-to-air missile, Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, MunitionsMunitionsAIM-120C/D AMRAAM air-to-air missileBeyond-visual-range air-to-air missileSide: PakistanRole: Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missileBuilt: Raytheon / United StatesThe AIM-120C/D AMRAAM is the clipped-fin United States beyond-visual-range missile branch used from fighter aircraft and, without changing the missile, as the baseline interceptor in NASAMS. RTX describes AMRAAM as a dual-role air-to-air and surface-launch weapon; direct conflict sources document Ukrainian NASAMS AMRAAM support and later AIM-120C-8 wreckage reporting, Saudi AIM-120 use against Houthi drones, and AIM-120C-5 wreckage from the 2019 India-Pakistan air engagement.
Improvised explosive device, Improvised explosive device, MunitionsMunitionsImprovised explosive deviceImprovised explosive deviceSide: PakistanRole: Vehicle-borne suicide car bombingBuilt: Local fabrication by armed groups / VariousImprovised explosive devices are field-built bombs assembled from commercial, homemade, or military components and triggers. The documented family spans roadside and pressure-plate bombs, vehicle-borne suicide devices, radio-controlled charges, water-borne attack craft, booby traps, and repurposed ordnance across insurgent, terrorist, and state use cases.
Mk 83 REK guided bomb, Range-extension guided bomb, MunitionsMunitionsMk 83 REK guided bombRange-extension guided bombSide: PakistanRole: Stand-off precision strike bombBuilt: Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS) / PakistanThe Mk 83 REK guided bomb is a Pakistani stand-off glide-bomb configuration that adapts an Mk 83 / PK-83-class bomb body with a guidance section, control tail, and wing kit. GIDS markets the REK / Takbir family as a GPS/INS range-extension weapon, while specialist reporting ties its Mk 83-class form to Pakistan Air Force JF-17 strikes during the 2019 India-Pakistan Border Skirmishes.
GIDS REK / Takbir, Range-extension guided glide bomb kit, MunitionsMunitionsGIDS REK / TakbirRange-extension guided glide bomb kitSide: PakistanRole: Stand-off precision strikeBuilt: Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS) / PakistanGIDS REK / Takbir is a Pakistani range-extension kit family that turns general-purpose steel bombs into GPS/GNSS-aided stand-off glide weapons. GIDS presents Takbir with a tail guidance unit, deployable wing unit, 100 km class range, and MIL-STD-1760 interface, while Qaswa and Quwa sources place the newer AZB/REK line across Mk 80-series bomb bodies and tie the Mk 83-class configuration to JF-17 strike reporting from Operation Swift Retort.
1 remaining

Category

Tanks

Heavy armor built around direct fire, protection, and battlefield shock.

1/1
Tanks, model not publicly identified, Tank, model not publicly identified, TanksTanksTanks, model not publicly identifiedTank, model not publicly identifiedSide: PakistanRole: Armored border reinforcement and tank-class direct-fire capabilityBuilt: Not publicly identified / UnknownPakistan Army tanks were reported on the Line of Control and the international border during the 27 February 2019 escalation, but public reporting did not identify the vehicle model. This record therefore treats the item as an unidentified tank-class system and limits the conflict claim to sourced border reinforcement and direct-fire context.

Conflict Sources

Public reporting on aircraft losses, damage, and kill claims diverged sharply across Indian, Pakistani, and neutral accounts. This catalog keeps to directly dated, source-backed events and system references, and treats disputed battle-damage assertions conservatively.

  • PIB Pulwama condemnationPublisher: Press Information Bureau | Note: Primary Indian government statement dated 14 February 2019 condemning the Pulwama attack on CRPF personnel and fixing the crisis trigger. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • MEA Balakot strike statementPublisher: Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India | Note: Primary Indian government statement on the 26 February 2019 strike on the JeM training camp at Balakot. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • MEA 27 February statementPublisher: Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India | Note: Primary Indian government statement on the 27 February 2019 aerial engagement and the loss of an Indian MiG-21 Bison. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • Dawn pilot handoverPublisher: Dawn | Note: Direct reporting on the 1 March 2019 handover of captured Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman at the Wagah border. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • Wikimedia Commons India-Pakistan border mapPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Open-license image provenance page for the Kashmir border map used as conflict context media. | Accessed: 2026-06-20