INDIA’S STRATEGIC AIRLIFT CAPABILITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR PAKISTAN’S SECURITY CALCULUS

Strategic airlift constitutes a core component of modern military logistics and power projection, enabling states to deploy forces rapidly, sustain operations across distant theatres, and shape regional deterrence postures. This paper critically examines India’s strategic airlift capabilities, analysing its doctrinal imperatives, fleet composition, operational constraints, and regional ambitions. While India has expanded its airlift fleet and positioned it as a tool for projecting influence, the study argues that these advances are offset by persistent logistical vulnerabilities, dependence on foreign suppliers, limited indigenous capacity, and overstretched commitments in a volatile regional environment. The paper assesses the implications of these dynamics for Pakistan’s defence calculus, positing that Pakistan need not pursue parity in scale but rather strategic sufficiency through mobility optimisation, asymmetric deterrence, and targeted investment in flexible response capabilities. Ultimately, the paper underscores that in a contested South Asian security landscape, the contest over airlift is not merely about platforms, but about posture, adaptability, and strategic coherence.