Haq's Musings

Riaz Haq writes this data-driven blog to provide information, express his opinions and make comments on many topics. Subjects include personal activities, education, South Asia, South Asian community, regional and international affairs and US politics to financial markets. For investors interested in South Asia, Riaz has another blog called South Asia Investor at http://www.southasiainvestor.com and a YouTube video channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkrIDyFbC9N9evXYb9cA_gQ

Showing posts with label Aircraft. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

Pakistan Bolsters its Conventional Deterrence Against Modi's Massive War Machine

Pakistan military is significantly outmanned and outgunned by Prime Minister Modi's massive war machine, which Indian Hindu Nationalist leadership continues to threaten to unleash against its neighbor to the west. Using the false pretext of "cross-border terrorism", it has already been used twice against Pakistan since Modi's election to the highest office in 2014. At the same time, the Modi government has stepped up it covert support of terrorist groups, including the TTP and the BLA, to attack Pakistan. In response, Pakistan is modernizing its conventional forces to deter the much larger enemy to the east. Key new capabilities include Pakistan's new conventional rocket force, a large number of self-propelled howitzers, an expanded drone fleet, induction of the first of eight new Hangor Class stealthy submarines, launching of 6 spy/communications satellites and deployment of a modern multi-layered air defense system.

Pakistan's Conventional Deterrence Capabilities

Pakistan Army Rocket Force:

The Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC) is a command of the Pakistan Army responsible for controlling and operating conventional rockets and missiles (including cruise missiles) as well as multi-rocket launchers to enhance conventional, non-nuclear high-precision deep-strike capabilities. It is currently equipped with the Fatah series of rockets and missiles.

Pakistan's Fatah-4 Cruise Missile. Source: Janes

The latest addition to its arsenal is Fatah 4, a radar-evading terrain-hugging cruise missile capable of precisely hitting targets as far as 750 km. It flies only 50m above ground, using terrain imagery for navigation even when all communication/GPS is denied.

Self-Propelled Howitzers:

The Pakistan Army now operates a large fleet of self-propelled (SP) and truck-mounted howitzers, anchored by the modern Chinese-made SH-15 and tracked M109 systems.

The Army has positioned its SH-15 howitzers and tracked artillery units in key strategic sectors facing the Indian border (including areas near the Line of Control and the International Border in Punjab, Sialkot, and Kashmir) to enhance counter-battery operations and long-range conventional deterrence.

Pakistan Drone Fleet:

The Russia-Ukraine war and the US-Israel-Iran war have recently demonstrated the effectiveness of drone warfare. Learning from these wars, Pakistan revealed a 3,000-kilometer range one-way drone in July this year. The state-owned Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) displayed two new long-range loitering munitions – the D-248 and the S-369 – at the 2026 Indus Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Expo on July 22–23, 2026 in Islamabad.

Pakistan's Long-Range Drone D-248

The D-248 drone uses a tailless delta configuration – similar to Iran’s Shahed-136 – and carries a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 240 kg, a wingspan of 3.3 m, a payload of 30-50 kg, a maximum speed of 225 kph, a cruise speed of 185 kph, an endurance of 12-14 hours, and a flight ceiling of up to 4,500 m. Iran's Shahed drones have been used in both the Ukraine-Russia war and the US-Iran conflict. Shahed-136 is relatively inexpensive. It has a swarm capability, and a precision-strike capability at extended ranges.

Hangor Class AIP Submarines:

Pakistan Navy has inducted the first of eight new stealth submarines with air-independent propulsion (AIP). Traditionally, Pakistan's Navy has always focused on maintaining deterrence against the much larger Indian Navy by deploying submarines. The Pakistan Navy Submarine Force was established in 1964 with the induction of PNS Ghazi (formerly the US Navy's USS Diablo), making it the first submarine force to operate in South Asia and the Indian Ocean. Indians falsely claim that they sank PNS Ghazi; in fact its sinking was the result of a mine-laying accident in the Indian port of Vishakhpatnam.

With the induction of the first Hangor class submarine, Pakistan Navy's submarine fleet now has six AIP submarines on active duty. The current fleet includes 3 Agosta 90Bs and 3 Agosta 70Bs made in France. The fleet strength will rise to 13 after China delivers the remaining 7 Hangor class submarines over the next few years.

Pakistani Submarine Hangor Sunk India's INS Khukri

Pakistan Navy submarine PNS Hangor (hence Hangor Class for new subs) sunk Indian warship INS Khukri off the coast of Diu, Gujarat on December 9, 1971, the first such sinking of a warship since WW2 by a submarine. 194 Indian Navy sailors died in the sinking that has been described in detail by the Indian Defense Review in 2014.

Spy Satellites Launched:

Pakistan has put 6 spy satellites in space to boost its communications and surveillance capability. Pakistan's space agency SUPARCO achieved a major milestone by launching six indigenous satellites over the last two months (January 2025 – April 2026), marking a shift toward rapid space technology expansion. The fleet, aimed at Earth observation and agriculture, includes EO-1, EO-2, AI-powered EO-3, and Pakistan's first hyperspectral satellite, HS-1.

China-Pakistan Space Cooperation

Multi-Layered Air Defense:

Pakistan has built a multi-layered air defense system to counter airborne threats from aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, and drone swarms. It covers long-range, medium-range, short-range and Terminal Close-In and Counter-Drone (C-UAS) Layers.

Multi-Domain Warfare:

Drones are becoming an important part of modern warfare, as demonstrated by ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. Gaining military advantage in future conflicts will increasingly depend on how well states conduct technology-driven multi-domain operations by integrating aircraft, drones, electronic warfare, cyber operations, intelligence and AI-assisted analysis.

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Pakistan's Rising Arms Sales to Developing Nations

Pakistan is emerging as a major arms supplier to developing countries in Asia and Africa. Azerbaijan, Myanmar, Nigeria and Sudan have all made significant arms purchases from Pakistan in recent years. Azerbaijan expanded its order for JF-17 Thunder Block III multi-role fighter jets from Pakistan from 16 to 40 aircraft. The recent order extends a 2024 contract worth $1.6 billion to modernize Baku’s airborne combat fleet to $4.6 billion. This makes Azerbaijan the largest export customer of the Pakistan-made warplane. Bangladesh is negotiating purchase of up to 32 JF-17 Thunder Block III aircraft from Pakistan.

Pakistan PFX Concept Fighter. Source: Raksha Anirveda

In Africa, Pakistan has recently signed a $1.5 billion contract to supply combat drones and military trainer aircraft. The order includes 150 armored vehicles, 220 drones and 10 K-8 Karakorum trainer/light attack aircraft. Earlier in 2021, Pakistan sold three JF-17 Thunder fighter jets and ten Super Mushshak trainer aircraft to Nigeria in a deal worth nearly $200 million. From 2018 to 2021, Pakistan sold 11 JF-17 Thunder Block I aircraft to Myanmar.

Air forces of about a dozen developing nations are buying and deploying Pakistani made aircrafts. The reasons for their choice of combat-tested Pakistan manufactured airplanes include advanced BVR (beyond visual range) features, affordability and ease of acquisition, maintenance and training.

Pakistan started developing defense hardware for import substitution to reduce external dependence and to save hard currency. Now the country's defense industry is coming of age to lead the way to high value-added manufactured exports.

Pakistan has unveiled its PFX (Pakistan Fighter Experimental) program as a significant upgrade to its JF-17 joint program with China. The new upgrade will have a number of stealth features ranging from the use of radar-absorbing composite materials and diverterless supersonic inlets (DSI) to internal weapons bay (IWB) which will significantly reduce the aircraft's radar signature. It is targeted for completion by the end of this decade. In addition, the PFX's twin-engine design will improve maneuverability and allow greater payload capacity.

The program is part of Pakistan's broader strategy to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and strengthen the domestic defense industry. Currently, 58% of JF-17 components are manufactured locally by PAC, but Pakistan aims to increase this share to achieve full production autonomy for the PFX. It is not just about the PAF modernization but also about positioning Pakistan as an important player in the global military aviation market.

The PFX is an evolution of a plan that Pakistan announced in 2017 to develop and produce 5th generation fighter planes. It is part of Pakistan Air Force's highly ambitious Project Azm that includes building Kamra Aviation City dedicated to education, research and development and manufacturing of advanced fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and weapon systems.

The PAF has already started replacing its aging fleet with the induction of the Chinese J10C fighter jets which are considered 4.5 Gen. The J10-C has stealth features like diverterless supersonic inlets (DSI). Its BVR capability is supported by PL-15 missiles, with an engagement range of up to 200 kilometers, facilitating long-range target engagements.

The PAF has also begun the process of acquiring 5th generation Chinese J35 fighter jets. The delivery of 40 J35 fighters to Pakistan is expected within two years, potentially altering regional dynamics, particularly concerning India.