Head to head · SD Strength Index
India vs Pakistan Military Power 2026 Compared
on 6 of 7 areas
| 29 | Air powercounts for 24% | 24 | ||
| 20 | Missiles & strikecounts for 15% | 25 | ||
| 27 | Air & missile defencecounts for 14% | 21 | ||
| 41 | Sea powercounts for 13% | 19 | ||
| 54 | Land forcescounts for 10% | 49 | ||
| 93 | Manpowercounts for 6% | 68 | ||
| 35 | Budget & industrycounts for 18% | 15 |
Key figures
| India | Pakistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Defence budget ($bn) | 88–92 | 10.4–10.9 |
| Active personnel | 1.5m | 660k |
| Reserves | 1.1m–1.2m | 500k–550k |
| Combat aircraft | 560–650 | 380–450 |
| Fifth-generation fighters | 0 | 0 |
| Attack helicopters | 45–65 | 40–70 |
| Main battle tanks | 3,700–4,600 | 2,400–2,800 |
| Aircraft carriers | 2 | 0 |
| Submarines | 18–19 | 6–8 |
| Naval fleet | 140–160 | 90–130 |
| Ballistic missiles | — | 150–250 |
| Missile range (km) | 5,000–7,000 | 2,750 |
| Long-range air-defence batteries | 3–4 | 4–8 |
| Nuclear warheads | 190 | 170 |
Branch by branch
| Air power Advantage: India | India. About 594 fighters, led by 265 Su-30MKIs and 35 Rafales, but only 29 squadrons against 42 authorised. No Tejas Mk1A has yet been handed over. | Pakistan. An estimated 380 to 420 combat jets: 126 JF-17s, about 75 F-16s and 20 to 36 J-10CEs, with old Mirages and F-7s being retired. |
| Missiles Advantage: Pakistan | India. Agni-5 flies more than 5,000 km and has been tested with multiple warheads. BrahMos adds a 450 km supersonic strike. Launcher numbers are classified. | Pakistan. An estimated 150 to 250 launchers, a new Army Rocket Force Command with Fatah guided rockets and the 750 km Fatah-4 cruise missile. More of Pakistan's effort goes into this domain, which earns it a narrow edge. |
| Air and missile defence Advantage: India | India. Four S-400 regiments delivered, a fifth due in November 2026 and five more approved. India claims an S-400 kill at about 300 km in 2025, still unverified. | Pakistan. An estimated 4 to 8 HQ-9 batteries and several HQ-16 medium range units. They did not stop Indian strikes on Nur Khan air base, which Pakistan later admitted. |
| Naval Advantage: India | India. Two carriers, 13 destroyers and three Arihant class ballistic missile submarines, the third commissioned in April 2026. | Pakistan. No destroyers. Four Type 054A/P frigates, two Babur corvettes and six submarines, including the first Chinese Hangor boat, which made its first live firing in September 2026. |
| Land forces Advantage: India | India. An estimated 4,200 tanks, about 1,200 of them T-90S. | Pakistan. An estimated 2,600 tanks, including Al-Khalids, 320 T-80UDs and VT-4s that are now also built locally as the Haider. |
| Nuclear Advantage: Even | India. About 190 warheads, with Agni-5 able to carry several. | Pakistan. About 170 warheads, and the Ababeel missile with multiple warheads in testing. |
If it came to war
| Scenario | Short war | Long war |
|---|---|---|
| A repeat of the May 2025 air and missile exchange | Even Pakistan's J-10CE and PL-15 kill chain, guided by Erieye radar aircraft, can again cost India jets on day one, while Indian missiles hit Pakistani bases. | India If the fighting runs past a few days, India's extra S-400 regiments and much deeper budget start to tell. |
| A wider ground war along the border | India India brings about 4,200 tanks to Pakistan's 2,600 and more than twice the troops. Pakistan's army is still large enough to make any advance slow. | India Pakistan also has to hold its Afghan border, where it fought the Taliban in October 2025 and again in February 2026. Fighting on two fronts favours India. |
Who would win a war between India and Pakistan?
India, on almost every measure we score. It has about 1.46 million active troops to Pakistan's 660,000 and two carriers to none. Its FY2026-27 defence budget is about $90bn. Pakistan's is Rs3tr, roughly $10.5bn. Pakistan raised spending 17.65 per cent this year. India raised its own about 15 per cent, from a base eight times larger.
Missiles are the exception. Silent Dossier estimates Pakistan has 150 to 250 ballistic missile launchers. Its Army Rocket Force Command, set up in August 2025, fields Fatah guided rockets, and a Fatah-4 cruise missile flew 750 km in May 2026. India's Agni-5 reaches further, past 5,000 km, but Pakistan has put more of its money into short and medium range strike.
What happened in the May 2025 India Pakistan clash?
Four days of fighting, from 7 to 10 May 2025, showed what each side does well. Pakistani J-10CEs firing PL-15 missiles shot down at least one Indian Rafale. Silent Dossier assesses India lost one to three jets in all. India admits losses but has never named the types. Pakistan's claim of seven Indian aircraft is unproven.
Indian missiles and drones then hit Pakistani air bases. Satellite imagery shows damage at Nur Khan, Jacobabad and Bholari, and Pakistan has admitted Nur Khan was struck. India's air force chief claims 12 to 13 Pakistani aircraft were destroyed or damaged. Pakistan denies losing any, and the imagery shows hangar damage only.
Is India or Pakistan stronger in the air?
India, but by less than its numbers suggest. Retiring the MiG-21 in September 2025 left the Indian Air Force with 29 fighter squadrons against 42 authorised. The Tejas Mk1A is more than two years late because GE engines arrived slowly. India has approved 114 more Rafales, 94 of them to be built in India, but nothing is signed.
Pakistan's air force is old at the bottom and Chinese at the top. Its Mirage and F-7 squadrons are retiring, JF-17 Block III output is slow, and the 40 J-35A stealth fighters China offered in 2025 have no confirmed contract.
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Questions readers ask
Who would win in a war, India or Pakistan?
India in a conventional war, thanks to its larger air force, navy and budget. The May 2025 clash showed Pakistan can inflict real losses in the opening days, and both countries hold nuclear weapons.
Did Pakistan shoot down Indian Rafales?
At least one Indian Rafale was lost on 7 May 2025, though India has never confirmed losses by type. Pakistan claims four Rafales among seven Indian jets. Silent Dossier estimates one to three Indian aircraft were lost in total.
How many fighter jets do India and Pakistan have?
India has about 594 fighters in 29 squadrons. Silent Dossier estimates Pakistan has 380 to 420, including 126 JF-17s, about 75 F-16s and 20 to 36 J-10CEs.
How does India's military compare with China's?
China is ahead. It has about 2 million active troops to India's 1.46 million, three aircraft carriers to India's two and some 308 J-20 stealth fighters, while India has no stealth jets. India also has to keep large forces facing Pakistan.