ASELPOD, the advanced Turkish targeting pod, has been integrated with PAF fighters such as the JF-17

Pakistan Military's Modernization Campaign

Courtesy @amirhusain_tx

In the 1990s, Pakistan was sanctioned under the Pressler Amendment which prevented the country from obtaining F-16s it had bought and paid for, as well as receiving spare parts and support for its existing fleet of F-16 aircraft. These aircraft had been used to great effect in the prior decade to shoot down many Soviet aircraft intruding into Pakistan’s air space from the Afghan border. With the sudden sanctions, there was a stark realization that the Air Force — as the military’s spearhead — would be in a highly compromised position if it continued to depend on sources that were subject to instability.

In prior decades, the Air Force had taken modest steps toward autarky. It had established a rebuild factory for F-6 (westernized and upgraded Chinese Shenyang J-6 Farmers) and French Mirage III and V aircraft. However, there was no real capability to manufacture significant portions of modern fighter aircraft. It was in the aftermath of the 1990s that this began to change rapidly with a partnership between Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra, and the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Initially named the Sabre-II and later renamed the Super-7 the aircraft that is now known as the JF-17 (Joint Fighter 17) emerged from this cooperation.

When the JF-17 Block 1 took to the skies in 2003, many analysts questioned whether it would ever be a viable competitor to fourth-generation Western fighters. Indeed, the initial block lacked some key features needed to be truly cutting-edge. Through a block-based development program, the PAC and CAC quickly demonstrated that there was tremendous potential in their new platform. Fast forward to today, the most recent JF-17 Block III is a true 4+ generation fighter checking all the boxes: AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar), long-range BVR (Beyond Visual Range) missiles such as the PL-15 and SD-10, a wide-angle HUD of the same type used in the fifth generation J-20 fighter, a helmet-mounted display (HMD) tied to the all-aspect PL-10 WVR (within visual range) missile, anti-ship and supersonic land attack missiles such as the C-802AKG, a modern targeting pod in the Turkish ASELPOD, anti-radiation missiles such as the LD-10 and MAR-1, precision-guided munitions (PGMs) like the locally developed Takbir bomb and several electronic warfare and jamming pods. Most recently, the Raad long-range cruise missile manufactured in Pakistan was also integrated with the JF-17.

With a 21-year record of reliable performance and rapidly growing capabilities, the JF-17 has emerged as the backbone of the Pakistan Air Force and complements the 72 F-16 Block 52 and MLU aircraft, Mirage strike aircraft as well as the latest Chinese J-10C fighters.

The story of the JF-17 is indicative of the modernization and indigenization of defense platforms in Pakistan. Much like the Air Force, the country’s other defense services also learned the importance of a diversified supply chain and domestic programs. The Army runs its own domestic main battle tank program, the Al-Khalid, and the Navy is now building ships and submarines in its dockyards, often in joint ventures with Turkey, China, and the Netherlands. The country’s strategic nuclear forces have similarly developed ballistic missiles of various ranges, as well as cruise missiles and most recently, MIRV (Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles)

Until 2020, the modernization of the Armed Forces proceeded at a predictable pace. In the last 4 years, the pace quickened to an almost unparalleled degree. It is hard for Pakistan defense watchers to think of another similar era of modernization in the last many decades. A lot of progress has been made very rapidly. To provide a sense of the scale of the modernization of the Pakistani Armed Forces, consider just a select sampling of programs across the three major services:

Air Force Programs

• J-31 Stealth Fighters: Announcement of the induction of J-31 fifth-generation stealth fighters.
• Kaan: Announcement that Pakistan, along with Azerbaijan, will join the Turkish fifth-generation fighter project, deputing 200 engineers to the development team.
• AEW&C Fleet Growth: Growth of AEW&C fleet to include the latest Saab Global Eye / Erieye AWACS aircraft.
• J-10: Induction of J-10 4.5+ generation fighters.
• JF-17B: Development of the two-seat JF-17B variant for EW and training roles.
• JF-17 Block III: Production and deployment of JF-17 Block III 4+ generation fighters. The JF-17 fleet will soon stand at over 184 aircraft and it has been exported to two other countries.
• Shahpar II and III: Development of indigenous Shahpar II and III MALE drones.
• Akinci and Bayraktar TB-2: Induction of Turkish Akinci (HALE) and Bayraktar TB-2 drones (MALE).
• CH-4: Induction of Chinese CH-4 drones (MALE).
• Drone Swarm Deployment: Deployment of drone swarm technology.
• Autonomous Loitering Munitions: Completion and deployment of numerous autonomous loitering munitions.
• Cruise Missile Development: Babar, Raad, and Raad II cruise missile development; integration on numerous Chinese (CM-400AKG, C-802) and Turkish (SOM) missiles.
• Hypersonic Missile Capability: According to the Pakistan Air Force video press release issued on 1/15/2024, the Pakistan Air Force has obtained Hypersonic missile capabilities.
• PANJNAD EW Pod: Domestic Electronic Warfare Pod development.
• HQ-9BE SAM: HQ-9BE Surface to Air Missile System.
• New Radars and Datalink: A range of new radars and Link-17 domestic secure datalink.

Army Programs

• Armor Modernization: Acquisition of VT-4 Main Battle Tank and addition of electronic warfare, armor protection, and remote weapons stations to existing platforms.
• Viper IFV: ATGM, remote weapon station, and auto-cannon-equipped Infantry Fighting Vehicle with capacity for up to 13 troops.
• A-100 MLRS: A-100 Multiple Launch Rocket System.
• Fatah 1 & 2: Indigenously developed and fielded Fatah 1 and Fatah 2 MLRs with ranges of 140 and 400km, respectively.
• Ababeel: Ababeel is a multiple-independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) surface-to-surface nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a range of up to 3,500km.
• Z-10ME Helicopters: Z-10ME attack helicopters will be inducted in late 2024.
• NESCOM Burraq Drones: Indigenously manufactured unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs)
• Barq ATGM: Barq air-to-surface anti-tank missiles deployable from Shahpar and Burraq UCAVs.
• HQ-16 SAMs: HQ-16 70km range Surface to Air Missiles.
• HQ-9P SAMs: HQ-9P 200km range Surface to Air Missiles.

Navy Programs

• Hangor II Class Submarines: Construction of the Hangor II class submarines (Type 039B derived) which will be capable of carrying nuclear armed missiles.
• Type 054 A/P Frigates: Stealth design for reduced radar cross-section, this frigate is capable of anti-air warfare, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare missions.
• Babur Corvettes: The Babur Class, or MILGEM, Corvette Induction (JV with Turkey) provides capabilities for anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare, along with advanced electronic warfare systems and a flight deck for an anti-submarine helicopter​.
• Jinnah Frigates: The Jinnah Frigate is a class of multi-role frigates planned for the Pakistan Navy, designed using the expertise gained from the Babur-class corvette project. Details are not publicly available.
• F-22P Upgrade: F-22P Frigate Mid-Life Upgrade.
• P282: P282 Hypersonic Missile Program
• Sea Sultan: Sea Sultan (Embraer Lineage 1000-based) Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft acquisition.
• 12T Boats: 12T Marine Assault Boat construction.
• CAMM-ER SAM: MBDA’s 45km range Surface to Air Missile system.
• LY-80N SAM: LY-80N 70km range Surface to Air Missile induction.

In addition to these projects, the Pakistan Air Force established the PAF Cyber Command (PAFCC) and the PAF Space Command (PAFSC) in Islamabad. In a video press release issued on the 16th of January, 2024, the PAF disclosed that anti-satellite weapons development was part of the PAFSC’s ambit. In addition, the Air Force has also created the NASTP (National Aerospace Science & Technology Park) which has become a hub for various indigenous programs. This facility now houses, among others, leading Turkish UCAV firm Bayraktar’s Pakistan offices.

The modernization of the Pakistani armed forces is a work in progress; there are numerous capabilities across cyber, space, air, land, sea, and subsea domains that are currently in the works. Most importantly, net-centricity has been embraced at a cross-domain level and the domestically developed Link-17 datalink has shown its value in integrating western (Saab Erieye and F-16), Chinese (J-10C), JV (JF-17), and entirely domestic platforms. Many other programs to develop new pods, long-range air-to-air missiles, UCAVs and USVs are currently in progress. With time, many will become better known.

Artificial Intelligence also features in a major way. A dedicated center known as CENTAIC (Center for Artificial Intelligence and Computing) has been established. Its full scope of activities is not known, but cognitive radio efforts, sensor integration, and autonomy are among its focus areas. Manned-unmanned teaming capability is an in-progress area of development for the Air Force.

The Pakistan military of the 2030s will be a powerful, integrated force with capabilities across all domains of warfare. Autonomy will feature a greater role with the goal of tightening the OODA (Observe Orient Decide Act) loop, surpassing likely adversaries. The stated aim of the armed forces is to achieve “Full spectrum, cross-domain, multi-arena” warfare capability. The era of Hyperwar and the integration of AI capabilities into the battlefield and onto existing platforms provides many nations the opportunity to leapfrog others. Pakistan’s military seems to be following this strategy in spades.