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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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7 comments:
- "Pakistan military is significantly outmanned and outgunned by Prime Minister Modi's massive war machine.."
I doubt it. If anything, past skirmishes (Balakot, Operation Sindoor etc.) have proven that 'Modi's massive war machine' isn't as formidable as it is made out to be and that Pakistan is more than capable of defending itself.
- "Using the false pretext of 'cross-border terrorism'.."
LeT? JeM? Hafeez Saeed? Masood Azhar? Mumbai attacks? David Headley? Tahawwur Rana?
If the Pakistani deep state harboured OBL at 'Waziristan Haveli' barely a kilometer from a Pakistan Military Academy in Abottabad for years when it was ostensibly a US ally in 'War on Terror', India's claims that LeT, JeM, and other Kashmir jihad outfits are creations of the Pakistani state (despite the latter's denials) wouldn't actually stretch credulity, would it?
- "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."
Perhaps as a tit-for-tat response to Pakistan's decades long efforts in founding, training, arming and infiltrating jihadist groups into Kashmir?
But there is a catch here. Unlike the case of the Kashmir region that borders Pakistan, India does not share a land border with either Balochistan or KP. So, India's alleged 'covert support' for TTP and BLA clearly cannot happen without the blessings or atleast tacit support of Iran and Afghan regimes. Then the uncomfortable question for Pakistan would be why would these Islamic states aid a Hindu-nationalist India in destabilizing a fellow Muslim state?
But lets be fair. Both countries have been waging shadow war against each another for long. If Indians say that Pakistan started it by sponsoring Khalistanis in Punjab and Jihadists in Kashmir, Pakistanis would retort that India started it even earlier by training and arming the Mukti Bahini in 1971. And Indians would then reply that it was payback for 'Operation Gibraltar' in 1965 and so on..
If there is relative peace in Kashmir these days (barring occasional high profile attacks like Pulwama or Pahalgam) in comparison to persistent attacks in Balochistan or KP, it is largely on account of the relative success of India's counter-insurgency operations and not because Pakistan stopped sponsoring the 'Kashmir jihad'.
So Riaz, you know "for a fact" that RAW is funding BLA?
What's the source? RAW or RAWalpindi?
Shams: “So Riaz, you know "for a fact" that RAW is funding BLA?”
It seems you never heard of a man named Kulbhushan Jhadav.
https://www.riazhaq.com/2018/01/indias-ex-intelligence-officers-blame.html
Wishful thinking but the day more attention is given to Human Development rather than excessively diverting scarce resources to security and the establishment thereof, that is when the common man will be served more rightfully.
Nitin: "the day more attention is given to Human Development rather than excessively diverting scarce resources to security and the establishment thereof, that is when the common man will be served more rightfully"
That's the theory.
But in practice we can see around the world today that the lack or absence of security is the principal cause of the greatest of human suffering.
Any people unable to defend itself pays a heavy price by becoming occupied and brutalized by predatory nations with large and powerful militaries.
Physiological needs and physical security are the foundations of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
The whole premise of the social contract theory in political science is that the people give up some of their rights in exchange for physical security provided by their government.
Social contract theory states that the legitimacy of a government comes from an implicit or explicit agreement (the contract) among individuals who surrender some of their absolute freedom in exchange for security, social order, and the protection of their remaining rights.
The Caravan
@thecaravanindia
Archives | The Pakistan prime minister claimed that the PAF had destroyed three Rafale jets during Operation Sindoor. Modi had touted the purchase of these jets as a gamechanger, lamenting his inability to use them in 2019 due to delays in procurement.
Meant to be a demonstration of Modi's resolve and the military's technological prowess, the operation and its aftermath complicated India's security environment.
Operation Sindoor and the delusion of deterrence. Read
@SushantSin
's essay:
https://caravanmagazine.in/conflict/operation-sindoor-delusion-deterrence #rafale #OperationSindoor
https://x.com/thecaravanindia/status/2108169286175117714?s=20
---------------
The Caravan
@thecaravanindia
#Balakot | The Indian Air Force, it can now be clearly said seven years after the fact, missed its designated targets, lost a fighter jet in an aerial skirmish, shot down its own helicopter, had another near-miss friendly fire incident over Rajasthan and was put on the backfoot because of the capture of its fighter pilot.
How the Modi government drew political mileage out of a military failure. Read our March 2025 cover story by
@SushantSin
:
https://caravanmagazine.in/security/balakot-failure-modi-victory
https://x.com/thecaravanindia/status/2108131917501723107?s=20
Trump’s Retreat: From the Gulf to Britain, American Forces Pull Back
A war that was intended to demonstrate the reach of American power has now done the opposite. It is a lesson in unintended consequences.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/07/us/politics/trump-iran-retreat.html
To hear President Trump and his aides describe it, the rush to withdraw 12 B-1 bombers from an air base in Britain over the weekend was a prudent precaution, in response to a threat they refused to describe.
It was no big deal, Mr. Trump insisted, and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, tried to wave it away by noting that the Pentagon is “constantly reallocating resources where they need to be.”
But to anyone watching the deployment of American power around the globe in the seven months since Mr. Trump decided to attack Iran, it was another glaring example of how, time after time, Mr. Trump and his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, have been forced into retreat, pulling back military forces that had been deployed to the Middle East and Britain as a deterrent.
Over the past several months, as the conflict has dragged on, the Iran war has come to reveal enormous new American vulnerabilities, forcing changes that the Pentagon was not contemplating a year ago. But it has also proved a bitter lesson in the unintended consequences that have flowed from Mr. Trump’s war of choice.
Mr. Trump intended the attack on Iran as another demonstration of the American military’s extraordinary power, following the successful bombing raid on three Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 and the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela from his bed in Caracas in January.
But rather than enhance American power, the war has constrained it. The closing of bases in the Middle East and limiting the use of one in Britain have, at a minimum, vastly complicated the logistics of projecting power. American bombers can still reach their targets, of course, but only by flying from the United States, requiring more time and refueling. American carrier groups can still patrol in the Arabian Sea, outside the Persian Gulf, but now they must be resupplied from Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean 2,200 miles away, requiring additional weeks and huge costs.
But most importantly, the rapid withdrawals have taught a lesson to the Iranians — and potentially to other adversaries — that they hold the power to chase out a superpower. In Europe, Mr. Trump and Mr. Hegseth are thinking of reducing American forces on their terms and their schedule. In the Middle East and Britain, their hand was forced.
American and British officials said on Monday that the bombers were rushed out of the British base after commanders received specific, credible information that Iran-backed operatives were planning to launch drone strikes against the aircraft and U.S. troops from right outside the fence.
The suspected plotters may have been inspired in part by an audacious attack that Ukraine launched against Russia last year when it smuggled drones deep into the Russian heartland and launched them from semi trucks. The strikes damaged or destroyed at least a dozen aircraft.
That and other attacks have recalibrated the Pentagon’s understanding of military vulnerabilities. Suddenly, keeping forces out of missile range is not enough. Drones and cyberweapons have reshaped the battlefield.
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The president rightly says that Iran’s entire navy was sunk in the initial military action, and its decrepit air force is out of business. And the country is teetering on the economic edge, crippled by the naval blockade that has brought its oil exports to a trickle.
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