ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s military stunned world by shooting down Indian fighter jets from over 100 miles away using Chinese-made PL-15 missiles, a move that reportedly sent shockwaves through the US defense establishment.
A Bloomberg report said that strike forced US Air Force and Navy to fast-track production of their most advanced missile, Lockheed Martin’s secret AIM-260, with nearly $1 billion in funding requested for fiscal year 2026.
The success of Pakistan’s missile operation is being seen as a dramatic shift in the balance of air superiority in South Asia. According to defense analysts, the AIM-260 missile, designed for F-22 and F-35 fighters, and compatible with F-15 and F-16 jets will serve as the U.S. military’s next-generation answer to emerging threats.
US Force requested $368 million for initial production and an additional $300 million from an unfunded priority list, while Navy seeks $310 million. Analysts say this program could become a multi-billion-dollar initiative and is critical for Lockheed Martin’s missile division, which already includes advanced systems like THAAD, Patriot interceptors, LRASM, and JASSM cruise missiles.
The global attention has shifted to long-range air-to-air weapons following Pakistan’s strike, highlighting vulnerabilities in previously untouchable U.S. air dominance. European missiles like the Meteor, despite a decade of deployment, have never seen combat.
US Air Force statement said potential adversaries showed advanced air superiority capabilities. A missile capable of defeating modern threats is essential to maintaining American dominance in the skies.
AIM-260 is poised to become the most advanced air-to-air missile in the world, marking a major escalation in global air combat technology, one set in motion by Pakistan’s unprecedented long-range strike.
