New Delhi, 17 September 2026: There have been tense relations between India and Pakistan since independence and many wars have also been fought between the two countries. At present, diplomatic relations are at a standstill, while Pakistan's top military spokesperson has acknowledged India's growing military strength. Lieutenant General of Pakistan Army Ahmed Sharif Chaudhary has said that his country fully respects India's military capabilities and does not want to engage in any kind of arms competition with New Delhi.
In an interview given to 'Al Arabiya English', when the Pakistani military spokesperson was asked about the developments in India's air defense, missile and conventional capabilities, he said, “We fully respect the Indian military capabilities. We understand New Delhi's policy of spending huge resources to strengthen its defense sector and military capabilities. But that does not mean that we have entered into an arms race with India. Pakistan is only focusing on its defensive capabilities and not on any of our offensive capabilities.” Not a plan.”
This statement from Pakistan has come at a time when India is rapidly expanding its indigenous defense production base. In May 2025, India will spend Rs. The foundation stone of 'Navdurga Defense Testing Range' was laid at a cost of Rs 1460 crore. Apart from this, in July 2026, under 'Project Kusha', India conducted the first successful flight testing of its indigenous long range surface-to-air missile with a range of up to 400 km.
The Indian Air Defense Network includes state-of-the-art systems like Akash, Akash-NG, QRSAM and VSHORADS. Whereas joint projects like Brahmos (India-Israel) and MRSAM (India-Israel) make the security of the country more reliable. Agni and K-series ballistic missiles are the mainstay of India's nuclear capability.
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'Super Sukhoi' and S-400 deal with Russia
Along with its local projects, India is also maintaining major cooperation with Russia in the defense sector. During Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Delhi during the BRICS Summit, Russia had offered to provide advanced engines for the modernization of India's Su-30MKI fighter jets. Talks are going on between the two countries on the $11 billion 'Super Sukhoi' project to upgrade 260 Sukhoi aircraft. Apart from this, Russia has also offered joint production of Su-57 fighter jets as well as S-400 and new S-500 systems.
While India is developing fifth generation fighter aircraft through its indigenous 'AMCA' project, on the other hand, Pakistan is still seen completely dependent on countries like China and Turkey.