If you live in subcontinent, one question sure has crossed your mind, “Who will have an upper hand if a war broke out between India and Pakistan”. Every military in the world like to show off their might on ground, in sea & air but the case is different for people in India & Pakistan, where it has become a competition for dignity and honor and losing to other is not an option for any.
Several comparisons have been made on different forums yet none as detailed as the one by “Military Watch”. The new lists provide an option to either check a country’s armed forces’ might or compare it with any other country on the list. All the major powers of the world have been included in it.
Lets not waste time and delve into a detailed comparison of armed forces of both India and Pakistan. Keep in mind that this is just a comparison of the assets both the militaries hold, we are not endorsing a conflict OR by any mean making assumptions about war.
Comparison between Ground Forces
This comparison is restricted only to the ground forces i.e. Pakistan Army & Indian Army.
Infantry
Infantry is the number of combat capable personnel including Active Soldiers, Reservists, Paramilitary and Special Forces.
| Forces | Pakistan | India |
| Active Soldiers (Active Soldiers refers to military members who are currently serving on full-time status in their military capacity) |
653,800 | 1,237,117 |
| Reservists
(Reservists are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when their military requires additional manpower) |
282,000 | 990,960 |
| Para Military
(A paramilitary is a semi-militarized force whose organizational structure, tactics, training, subculture, & function are similar to a professional military, but is not formally part of a country’s armed forces) |
420,000 | 1,400,000 |
| Special Forces
(Special forces and special operations forces are military units trained to conduct special covert operations) |
8,000 | 7,400 |
Battle Tanks
These are the heavily armored and armed combat vehicle which have served as a key component of modern armies since the First World War.
Pakistan Army
A total of 2,370 battle tanks are in service of Pakistan Army.
| Tanks | Number |
| Type 90 II | 333 |
| T-80 | 320 |
| Type-85 | 267 |
| Type-69 IIMP | 290 |
| Type 59
(560 of the Al-Zarar variants) |
1160 |
Indian Army
| Tanks | Number |
| Arjun | 370 |
| T-72 | 2410 |
| T-90 | 1657 |
Combat Helicopters
These are armored rotary wing aircraft designed for frontline engagements deploying a heavy armament of missiles, rockets and guns. These helicopters are highly effective tank hunters and also effective in an anti-infantry role.
Read more: Pakistani Forces achieve another milestone with Ghaznavi successful test
Heavily specialized submarine hunting platforms are also included.
Pakistan Army
| Helicopters | Number |
| AH-1W Cobra | 48 |
| T129 ATAK | 0 (30 on order) |
| Mi-24/35 | 4 |
| AH-1Z Viper | 0 (12 on order) |
Indian Army
| Helicopters | Number |
| Mi-24/35 | 15 |
| AH-64 Apache | 22 |
Artillery
This refers to the high caliber guns or rockets used to bombard enemy positions at long ranges.
Pakistan Army
| Artillery | Number |
| Rocket Artillery | 142 |
| Towed Artillery | 1300 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 400 |
Indian Army
| Artillery | Number |
| Rocket Artillery | 270 |
| Towed Artillery | 4,160 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 198 |
Support Systems
The support systems refers to the rotary wing aircraft fulfilling a number of non-combat roles including surveillance, transport, search and rescue and Special Forces insertion. It often possess some defensive armaments. This is a key logistical asset for modern armies.
Pakistan Army
| Support System | Number |
| Airlift | 296 |
| Support Helicopters | 328 |
| Armored Fighting Vehicles | 2600 |
Indian Army
| Support System | Number |
| Airlift | 708 |
| Support Helicopters | 700 |
| Armored Fighting Vehicles | 3200 |
Ballistic Missiles
Such are the missiles following ballistic trajectories to deliver either nuclear or conventional warheads. This is a highly versatile weapons type with both ballistic and tactical uses. A military power’s ballistic missile capabilities is rated from 1-6 based on a combination of the diversity and sophistication of its arsenal.
Read more: Pakistan’s First Indigenously Designed Fast Attack Craft Missile
Pakistan Army
Overall ballistic missile ranking of Pakistan is “4” out of “6”.
Long Range Ballistic Missile
Pakistan currently does not own any long range ballistic missiles.
Medium Range Ballistic Missiles
- Ghauri
- Rodong-1
- Shaheen 2
- Shaheen 3
- Ababeel
Short Range Ballistic Missiles
- Abdali
- Shaheen
- Ghaznavi
- Babur
Indian Army
Overall ballistic missile ranking of India is “5” out of “6”.
Long Range Ballistic Missile
- Agni-6
- Agni-5
Medium Range Ballistic Missiles
- Agni-1
- Agni-2
- Agni-3
- Agni-4
- Shaurya
Short Range Ballistic Missiles
- Prithvi
- Prahaar