A violent military confrontation broke out Wednesday between India and Pakistan, killing at least 38, the most serious confrontation in twenty years.
In recent years, the two countries have considerably strengthened their military arsenal.
TF1info takes stock of the means available to the two armies.
India and Pakistan entered an unprecedented violence for two decades on Wednesday in a military confrontation. Between the two neighboring countries, the conflict is not new. But is it played in equal arms? Not on all levels: if it is two nuclear powers facing each other, they operate with a budget and considerably different human resources, reflections of two unequal populations.
Admittedly, their nuclear arsenals are now almost equivalent: according to data from the Federation of American Scientists, India, whose first nuclear tests date back to 1974, holds 180 warheads. His Pakistani neighbor, who did not carry out his first tests until 1998, almost caught up and now has 170. But equity stops here.
Two unequal armies
Because in terms of human resources, New Delhi enjoys a considerable advantage: the Indian army (excluding paramilitary forces) has more than 1.4 million men, for a population of 1.4 billion inhabitants. The Pakistani army, for its part, has 660,000 men, for a country of 254 million inhabitants. It must also be said that the budgets allocated by the two states to the defense are not the same: that of India amounts to 81.1 billion euros, while that of Islamabad represents 10 billion euros.
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These unequal means have repercussions on the air paraphernalia of the two armies: India holds 1,437 military aircraft, against 812 for Pakistan. Air capacities that have developed considerably on both sides in a few years, since the last conflict which opposed them in 2019. Last step: the purchase of 26 Rafale planes by New Delhi to France, April 28, for a sum of 6.5 billion euros.
On the side of the earthworks, Pakistan would hold (new window) About 2,500 tanks, 1,600 armored vehicles and 4,500 artillery pieces. India would have (new window)in comparison, more than 4,200 tanks.
According to the Statita site, India is the 2ᵉ World Army in terms of military personnel, while Pakistan ranks in 6ᵉ position.
