New Delhi, May 10 -- Pakistan still treasures American F-16 fighter jets even though China has replaced the US as Islamabad's main arms merchant. As the tension between arch rivals - India and Pakistan - escalated this week, media reports suggested that India had shot down Pakistan's F-16 jets amid the conflict at the borders.

These unsubstantiated claims have again brought into focus this question: What are these F-16s? And can Pakistan use F-16 jets against India?

According to the US Air Force, the F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft. "It provides a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the United States and allied nations," it says.

The F-16 jets can locate targets in all weather conditio...