3 Months Since Sindoor: India-Pakistan Arms Race Heats Up with China in the Middle

As Operation Sindoor crosses its three-month mark since launching on May 7, the military calculus in South Asia appears to be shifting decisively. What began as India’s swift retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians, has since evolved into a broader regional arms race, with Pakistan rapidly modernising its arsenal with Chinese help, and India responding with high-stakes defence acquisitions.

On August 6, the Indian Ministry of Defence gave initial approval to a string of major procurement proposals worth Rs 67,000 crore. Among them:

• Acquisition of 87 indigenous MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) armed drones, Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs) for the three services, designed for high-endurance surveillance and precision strikes.
• Procurement of over 110 air-launched BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, the very weapon system that featured prominently in India’s retaliatory strikes on Pakistani radar sites and airbases during Operation Sindoor.
• A compact autonomous surface craft for the Navy to detect, classify and neutralise threats during anti-submarine warfare missions.
• Procurement of mountain radars and the upgrade of the SAKSHAM/SPYDER weapon system, which will enhance air surveillance capabilities along and across borders in mountainous regions.
• Other classified systems are tailored to enhance precision-strike, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance), and electronic warfare capabilities.

India’s own weapons procurement spree signals it is not willing to cede the technological edge. However, the speed and scale of these procurements suggest more than routine modernisation; they appear directly shaped by operational experiences from Operation Sindoor, and by the growing Chinese footprint in Pakistan’s military, which exposed critical gaps in India’s ability to deliver sustained multi-domain operations across the western front.

Sindoor as a Turning Point

Launched less than two weeks after the Pahalgam attack, Operation Sindoor marked one of the Indian Air Force’s most coordinated air campaigns in recent years. While official details remain classified, open-source tracking and leaked military briefings suggest Indian jets used BrahMos missiles to disable key Pakistani radar installations in Punjab and Sindh, alongside deep electronic jamming operations.

The long-range precision strikes have caused “a huge psychological impact” in Pakistan, CDS Gen Anil Chauhan said recently, emphasising the need to adapt swiftly to disruptive technologies.

In response, Pakistan scrambled J-10C fighters, supplied by China, with social media and military forums suggesting one or more Indian aircraft may have been damaged in retaliatory engagements.

Pakistan has since doubled down on Chinese military support.

China’s Expanding Role in South Asia’s Battlefield Equation

Over the past three months, Pakistan’s defence posture has shifted visibly, backed by new Chinese weapons platforms:

• Recent leaks and footage on Pakistani social media confirm the induction of Z-10ME multirole attack helicopters, the export variant of China’s own Z-10, specially configured for high-altitude warfare.
• These helicopters, reportedly more advanced than those operated by the PLA itself, feature enhanced avionics, composite armour, precision-strike missiles, and electronic countermeasures, suggesting China is not just exporting arms, but pushing its latest combat systems into active theatres via Pakistan.
• Advanced Fighter Jets: China is set to provide Pakistan with 40 J-35 stealth fighter jets, marking a significant upgrade to the capabilities of its air force.
• Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Aircraft: Pakistan will also acquire Shaanxi KJ-500 AEW&C aircraft, which will enhance its aerial surveillance and threat detection abilities.
• Ballistic Missile Defence Systems: Pakistan plans to purchase HQ-19 ballistic missile defence systems from China to strengthen its layered defence strategy.

In late July, China’s Central Military Commission Vice-Chairman and second only to President Xi Jinping in PLA hierarchy, Zhang Youxia, met Pakistan’s Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir, reaffirming military cooperation and strategic alignment. It followed earlier meetings between the Air Force Chiefs and Defence Ministers, further cementing a two-front challenge for India.

A New South Asian Military Paradigm

Three months after Operation Sindoor began, a new regional arms race is visibly underway. China’s role as Pakistan’s principal defence backer has crystallised into a multi-platform strategy: fighters, drones, helicopters, and electronic warfare systems. Pakistan, in turn, is rapidly transforming into a frontline partner for Chinese military hardware, effectively becoming both a proving ground and pressure point against India.

As China-Pakistan defence ties tighten and Chinese military hardware proliferates along India’s borders, strategic experts warn of a two-front military challenge designed to stretch India’s resources and test its response readiness.

The Z-10ME’s appearance in Pakistan – following the deployment of J-10C fighters and amid frequent PLA incursions in Ladakh – reflects Beijing’s broader ambition: to reshape South Asia’s military balance and pressure India into a reactive posture through coordinated defence exports and strategic signalling.

India’s military planners will likely view these developments not just as a matter of tactical concern but as evidence of an emerging strategic encirclement, with Pakistan as China’s willing frontline ally.

India’s response has been measured but muscular, blending indigenous capacity-building with quick-strike deterrence systems.

The question now is whether this cycle of escalation can be contained, or whether Operation Sindoor was just the opening salvo in a prolonged multi-theatre military competition in South Asia.

Ravi Shankar