The balance of power between the armies of India and Pakistan

Tensions between India and Pakistan have risen again on the back of a bombing that killed dozens of Indian security forces in the New Delhi-controlled Kashmir area, and the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad group said.

The latest military scene between the two countries - which have fought three wars since independence - has been further strained after Indian raids on Pakistani Kashmir, followed by an exchange of artillery fire and the Pakistani army's downing two Indian planes and the capture of their pilots. In the Indian subcontinent.

Of their three wars since independence in 1947, Britain fought two of them (1947 and 1965) in the disputed Kashmir region.

Under the drums of the new war, the following is a look at the balance of military power of both countries:

Military budget
In 2018 India allocated 4 trillion rupees ($ 58 billion), or 2.1 percent of GDP, to support its 1.4 million-strong army, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Pakistan last year spent 1.26 trillion Pakistan rupees ($ 11 billion), about 3.6 percent of its gross domestic product, on its 653,000-strong army.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Pakistan allocated more than 20 percent of the government's annual military spending between 1993 and 2006. But in 2017 the army's share of government spending was 16.7%.

By comparison, India's military spending rate was less than 12 percent of government spending during the same period, according to the institute's own estimate, at 9.1 percent in 2017.

The rockets
Both countries possess ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, India has nine types of missiles operating, including the "Agni-3", which range between 3 thousand and 5 thousand kilometers.

In return, the center says Pakistan's missile program, which was established with Chinese help, includes short- and medium-range mobile rockets that can reach anywhere in India. The range of the Shahin 2 rocket is 2,000 kilometers, Pakistan's longest range.

Nuclear warheads
The Stockholm Institute estimates that Pakistan has between 140 and 150 nuclear warheads compared with 130 to 140 in India.

Pakistan has confirmed in 2011 that it possesses tactical nuclear weapons capable of hitting specific targets (50 to 100 kilometers), which gives it superiority over India in this area.

ground forces
India has a ground force of 1.2 million troops, supported by more than 3565 combat tanks, 3100 combat infantry, 336 armored personnel carriers and 9719 artillery pieces, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

The ground forces in Pakistan are smaller, with 560,000 troops, supported by 2,496 combat tanks, 1605 armored personnel carriers and 4472 artillery pieces, including 375 self-propelled hawthers.

"Inadequate logistics, lack of maintenance, ammunition and spare parts limit the capabilities of its conventional forces," the International Institute said in a report released in February.

air forces
The Indian Air Force has 814 warplanes, with a strength of 127,000 and 200, so it is much larger than its Pakistani counterpart, but there are concerns about its fleet of fighter jets.

India's defense plans require 42 squadrons (equivalent to about 750 aircraft) to defend the country in the face of an attack on two axes from China and Pakistan.

Officials say that as old Russian fighter jets such as the MIG-21, which has been in use since the 1960s, retire, India could only have 22 squadrons by 2032.

Pakistan has 425 warplanes, including F-7BGs and F-16s.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies says it also has seven early warning and airborne aircraft, three more than Indian.

"The Air Force (Pakistan) is working to modernize its aircraft while improving the capabilities of precision strike, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance," the institute said in its estimates for 2019.

Navy
The Indian Navy consists of one aircraft carrier, 16 submarines, 14 destroyers, 13 frigates, 106 patrol ships and coastal operations. It also has 75 aircraft possessing combat capabilities.

India's naval strength is 67,700, including Marines and aircraft operators.

Pakistan has nine frigates, eight submarines, 17 patrol ships, coastal operations and eight aircraft with military capabilities.