IDEAS 2024: Pakistan Defense Industry's New Drones, Missiles and Loitering Munitions

[Riaz Haq]

The recently concluded IDEAS 2024, Pakistan's Biennial International Arms Expo in Karachi, featured the latest products offered by Pakistan's defense industry. These new products reflect new capabilities required by the Pakistani military for modern war-fighting to deter external enemies. The event hosted 550 exhibitors, including 340 international defense companies, as well as 350 civilian and military officials from 55 countries. 

Pakistani defense manufacturers highlighted their latest products, including armed UAVs, air-launched cruise missiles, smart munitions and main battle tanks. A Pakistani defense official said a large number of memoranda of understanding (MOUs) were signed with foreign military officials which could potentially lead to $36 billion in future sales. 

Pakistan Shahpar III UAV. Source: @ZARRAR3D

Pakistan's state-owned defense conglomerate Global Industrial & Defense Solutions (GIDS) displayed a new medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) – Shahpar III – at the IDEAS 2024 which was held at the Karachi Expo Center from November 24 to 27, 2024.  Shahpar III features longer endurance, weapon carrying capacity, and service ceiling over the earlier platforms in the Shahpar family of UAVs. The Shahpar III will have a maximum take-off weight of 1,650 kg and can carry multiple weapons on six underwing hardpoints. It will feature domestically developed avionics and be equipped with a dual-redundant flight control computer (US MIL-STD-1553 architecture), enhancing the aircraft's reliability, according to Jane's Defense. 

Sarkash Kamikaze Drone On Display at IDEAS 2024. Source: Global Def...

GIDS also introduced a new Kamikaze (suicide) drone "Sarkash" at the event. The drone has a maximum range of 1,000 km, endurance of over 2 hours, a 50 kg warhead, and a total weight of 175 kg, powered by a turbojet engine. GIDS is also working on the Sarkash-1, a long-range loitering munition.

Pakistan's Blaze Loitering Munitions. Source: Quwa

GIDS also unveiled the Blaze Series of loitering munitions, including Blaze 25, Blaze 50, and Blaze 75 at IDEAS 2024. The lightest of the series, the 25 kg Blaze 25 is ideal for short-range anti-tank operations with a range of 75 km and an endurance of 60 minutes, leaving minimal acoustic and thermal signature thanks to its electric propulsion system, according to OVD. In contrast, the Blaze 50, with its 50 kg weight, 180 km range, and 20 kg warhead, is an intermediate solution for medium-range attacks and reconnaissance missions. Designed for strategic, long-range engagements, the Blaze 75, the heaviest and most powerful model, boasts a 500 km range and a 30 kg warhead. It is powered by a gasoline engine for long-term endurance. 

Azb-81 LR Small Diameter Bomb. Source: Quwa

Qaswa Industries showcased its AZB-81LR Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) at IDEAS 2024. It is  a stand-off weapon (SOW) with a range of 200 km. The precision-guided munition has a 250 lbs weight and has a standoff attack range of 200 kilometers, with an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker, according to defense publication Quwa.  

Quwa also reported on a new Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) displayed at Expo. Using a stealthy low-observable (LO) airframe, the Rasoob-250 offers a range of 350 km with a cruising speed of Mach 0.7 and accuracy of within 5 m CEP (circular error probable). Including a booster, it has a total mass of 285 kg, with the semi-armor piercing warhead taking up 75 kg. It can be launched from drones, helicopters, and maritime patrol aircraft (MPA). 

Pakistan PFX Concept Fighter. Source: Raksha Anirveda

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) publicly revealed for the first time a model of the next generation of its Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC)/Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) JF-17 ‘Thunder' fighter aircraft.  Known as the JF-17 PFX (Pakistan Fighter Experimental), the model was displayed at the event in Karachi. Pakistani officials at IDEAS 2024 described the JF-17 PFX as a 4.5-plus generation twin-engine fighter aircraft. They also said that development of the type is expected to be completed before the end of the decade, according to Jane's. 

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[Riaz Haq]

Future of Pakistan's Air Power Takes Shape With JF-17 PFX Fighter Jet

https://armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2024/future-of-paki...

The PFX's twin-engine design promises improved maneuverability and greater payload capacity, while the use of composite materials is expected to reduce its radar signature. These advancements are intended to make the JF-17 PFX a serious competitor to other advanced fighter jets in the region, such as India’s Tejas MkII. The latter, under development by India, highlights the ongoing strategic rivalry between the two nations. As India works on an improved version of its domestic fighter jet, focusing on increased range and enhanced avionics, Pakistan seeks to counterbalance this with a more advanced and capable aircraft.

The PFX program is part of Pakistan's broader strategy to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and strengthen domestic defense production capabilities. 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. This initiative is not only about modernizing the country's aerial capabilities but also about positioning Pakistan as an emerging player in the global military aviation industry.

[Riaz Haq]

Turkiye, Pakistan to establish joint factory for production of KAAN fighter jet – Middle East Monitor


https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250122-turkiye-pakistan-to-esta...

Turkiye and Pakistan are reportedly set to establish and operate a joint factory to produce the new Turkish KAAN fighter jet, in what would be a significant move between the two countries.

According to a number of Turkish and Pakistani news outlets, representatives from 32 institutions gathered at the 8th meeting of the Pak-Turkish Industrial Expo in Pakistan earlier this month and finalised plans for a partnership between Ankara and Islamabad for the production of Turkiye’s KAAN fighter jet.

At those talks, Turkish Defence Minister, Yasar Guler, reportedly confirmed that an agreement for Pakistan’s official participation in the KAAN jet project is almost reached, almost a year and half after the Minister initially revealed that the two countries would be cooperating in the aircraft’s development and production.

Pakistan’s participation, according to the reports, is set to come in the form of a factory jointly established and operated between the Turkish and Pakistani counterparts, intended to produce and manufacture the jet.

The fifth-generation aircraft, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), is intended to replace Turkiye’s dated fleet of F-16 fighter jets in an effort to boost the country’s defence capabilities and keep up with the advancement of other newly-developed jets, particularly after the US cut Ankara out of the F-35 fighter jet program back in 2019.

The reported plans for the joint factory mark a significant milestone in the rising defence and military cooperation between Turkiye and Pakistan, providing Ankara with the opportunity to increase the production of the KAAN jet a low cost and to expand its export, while giving Islamabad the ability to boost its own aerial defence capabilities and to advance engineering skills within its own domestic industries.

[Riaz Haq]

Pakistan Air Force showcases advanced Chinese weapons as tensions escalate with India | South China Morning Post

The PAF releases footage highlighting its ‘potent’ PL-15 missiles and a radar system described as a ‘game-changer’

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3308808/pakistan-a...

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has released footage showing it has armed its combat aircraft with long-range Chinese missiles.

The footage, published online on Tuesday comes amid spiralling tensions with India following a terrorist attack in Kashmir last month that killed 26 people. New Delhi has blamed Pakistan for the incident, but Islamabad has denied any links to the attackers.
The three-minute video showed warplanes, including the JF-17 fighter, armed with Chinese-made PL-15 missiles and described them as the “PAF’s potent punch”.

The PL-15, originally developed for the fifth-generation J-20 stealth fighter, is China’s most advanced fighter-to-fighter missile and is reported to have an engagement range of 200km to 300km (125-185 miles).

Although other weapons that featured in the video were labelled as being the export version, the PAF did not say



However, military analysts also said Pakistan’s biggest advantage was likely to lie in the Chinese-made active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system fitted to the JF-17.

Jointly developed by Pakistan and China, the JF-17 is a lightweight, fourth-generation multirole fighter. The planes have featured in previous clashes between the Indian and Pakistani militaries and are confirmed to have shot down an Indian MiG-21 in 2019.

Retired Taiwanese major general Li Cheng-chieh told the Taiwanese broadcaster CTi on Tuesday that the Chinese-made KLJ-7A radar was the “real game-changer” for the JF-17, adding that “situational awareness is the first priority in modern warfare”.



The KLJ-7A can detect fighter-sized targets at 170km and track them at 120km. It can simultaneously monitor 15 targets and engage four.

India’s air force is equipped with Russian MiGs and French Rafale jets, but the Doppler radar fitted to the latter has a lock-on range of 60km and is no match for the system used by the PAF, according to Li.
“The KLJ-7A offers 360-degree coverage and can lock on to threats at more than twice the range of the Rafale’s radar,” Li said.

Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, also said radar and air-to-air missiles were the key elements in modern aerial warfare and said: “This shift allows lightweight platforms like Pakistan’s JF-17 to challenge India’s heavier jets.”

Fu said Pakistan’s advanced Chinese-made equipment could create a clear asymmetric advantage. “If tensions escalate, the side that sees first and fires first may well reshape the balance of power in South Asia’s skies.”

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According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, which cited an unnamed Pakistani military official, four Indian Rafale fighter jets were detected over the disputed region and later retreated after Pakistan scrambled its own warplanes.

The PAF video also featured an array of other Chinese made weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, early warning aircraft and the J-10CE, another fourth-plus generation multirole fighter.



Data released by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China in 2022 suggested the J-10CE matched the PLA’s J-10C, with a top speed of Mach 1.8, a service ceiling of 18,000 metres (59,000 feet), and a combat radius of 1,240km – extendable to 2,600km with refuelling.



The J-10CE reportedly features 1,200 transmit-receive radar modules – about 50 per cent more than the Rafale – giving it an edge in beyond-visual-range combat.

Retired Air Commodore Khalid Farooq told Pakistan’s Public News channel on Saturday that the J-10CE surpassed the Rafale in key combat areas. “India has just bought Rafale … a good aircraft, but we are ahead in first-look and first-shot capability,” he said.

[Riaz Haq]

Jim Sciutto
@jimsciutto
New: A high-ranking French intelligence official told CNN that one Rafale fighter jet operated by the Indian Air Force was downed by Pakistan, in what would mark the first time that one of the sophisticated French-made warplanes has been lost in combat.

Pakistan claimed earlier Wednesday to have shot down five Indian Air Force jets in retaliation for Indian strikes, including three Rafales. Indian officials are yet to respond to the claim.

The French official told CNN that French authorities were looking into whether more than one Rafale jets were shot down by Pakistan overnight.

https://x.com/jimsciutto/status/1920142813498311108

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https://www.eurasiantimes.com/1st-ever-rafale-shootdown-has-india-c...

It is worth noting that earlier, Pakistan had claimed that it had jammed four Indian Rafale fighters flying close to the Line of Control (LoC) on the night of April 29-30, forcing them to retreat and make emergency landings. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif claimed that Pakistan jammed Indian Rafale fighters using Chengdu J-10C fighters.

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French Intelligence Official Confirms Indian Rafale Jet Fighter Loss in Combat with Pakistan

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/india-pakistan-attack-kashmir-t...


A high-ranking French intelligence official told CNN today that one Rafale fighter jet operated by the Indian Air Force was downed by Pakistan, in what would mark the first time that one of the sophisticated French-made warplanes has been lost in combat.

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Did Pakistan really shoot down five Indian fighter jets?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/05/07/did-pakistan-real...

In the early hours after the attack, images of previous Indian fighter jet crashes were circulated on Pakistani social media as “proof” of a successful counter-strike. One, from a 2021 crash, showed the smoking tail of a MiG-29 jet.

But reports of jet crashes were soon corroborated from the ground. Local government sources told Reuters that three Indian jets had indeed crashed inside Indian-controlled Kashmir.

The reports mirrored a story in The Hindu, but that was swifty deleted by the newspaper under apparent pressure from the Indian government.

“There is no such on-record official confirmation from India,” the Hindu said as it apologised for what it called an error. “We regret that it created confusion among our readers.”

Residents ‘saw wreckage footage’
Early on Wednesday morning, Dar Yasin, a photojournalist with the Associated Press, raced to the outskirts of Srinagar, the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir.



He managed to slip past Indian authorities to take pictures of what appears to be the mangled wreckage of a downed fighter jet.

“Locals told me they saw a huge ball of fire emerging from the accident site and the wreckage was burning for…hours,” Mr Yasin told AP from the scene. Several locals also took and shared video of the wreckage on social media, before being ushered away from the scene.

Images of a burned aircraft engine appear to be of the M88 engine typically used in Rafale jets, said Andreas Rupprecht, an expert in Chinese military aviation.


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Zhao DaShuai 东北进修🇨🇳
@zhao_dashuai
Pakistan was able to accurately track and destroy air targets inside Indian air space.

This means, the C4ISR capabilities of Pakistan is miles ahead of India. Providing Pakistan with 1 way transparency.

Pakistan saw every step made by India.

C4ISR stands for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance.

This capability is crucial for network-centric warfare.

So this victory by Pakistan, is not only a victory of individual weapon systems, it's a victory of the entire Pakistan air warfare system over India.

India is thoroughly outclassed.

https://x.com/zhao_dashuai/status/1919982334948061460

[Riaz Haq]

Rafale failed in Sindoor! Rethink this French option for MFA | Security Wise

By Bharat Karnad, Indian Defense Analyst


https://bharatkarnad.com/2025/05/10/rafale-proved-crappy-in-sindoor...


The usual, unsatisfactory, inconclusive end to Sindoor. And that too inside of three days of start of military operations! What is equally surprising is how quickly we accepted US mediation, unless the entire Op Sindoor was planned on the basis that after a few days of slinging things around in which the Indian military would be permitted to do as much damage to the Pakistan military as possible, the US would step in with the arm twister of IMF credit of $1.3 billion, to bring Islamabad in line.

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In the main, Sindoor revealed the Indian Air Force’s flawed assessment of technology and trends. Its showboat Rafale combat aircraft came a cropper. Based on news stories in CNN (https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/09/china/china-military-tech-pakist...), Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/pakistans-chinese-made-jet-brought-do...) and The Telegraph of London (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/9caaf214c46509a7), featuring Pakistani claims and US sources supporting such claims (of as many as 5 IAF aircraft downed — 2 Rafales, 1 Su-30, 2 Mirage 2000s) , Captain Jawahar Bhagwat, former commander of INS Chakra, SSN, sent in his take on the IAF-PAF tussle in Sindoor which is worth quoting (as he sent it, almost in blank verse!):

“Saab Erieye AWACS patrolling silently
J-10C fighters flying in passive mode
PL-15E missiles—the export PL-15E, the domestic variant with over 300 km reach and Mach 5 speed—locked in and fired
The Rafale didn’t even know it was targeted until the missile was 50 km away. At that speed, the Indian pilot had 9 seconds. Not enough to react. Not enough to survive.”

The IAF presence over J&K was sparse in 2 of the 3 days. Why?

“Because every time a fighter lifts off, Pakistani radars pick it up.
Because the Erieye sees what Indian radars can’t.
Because the PL-15 launches from outside Rafale’s threat envelope.
Because the Rafale, once India’s silver bullet, has been turned into a $250 million sitting duck.The IAF now flies 300 km behind its own borders.”

And, as Captain Bhagwat correctly noted while a spendthrift IAF invested in prohibitively priced weapons platforms, like the Rafale, the PAF invested in the “kill chain” inclusive of a few J-10Cs, Saab AWACS and mostly long range A2A ordnance. Recall how the Rafale was ballyhooed by Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, CAS at the time of the failed 2019 Balakot strike who, not too long ago rued the fact that he did not have the Rafale for that action.

[Riaz Haq]

Beijing's equipment gains battlefield recognition as Pakistan air force shoots down rival at 100km

by Thomas Harding, security and policy editor covering Westminster politics and European affairs

https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/asia/2025/05/09/india-pakistan...

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At least one of the French-supplied advanced Rafale fighters was destroyed by a hypersonic PL-15 missile fired by the Pakistan Air Force from a distance of more than 100km on Wednesday, it has been reported.

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Another key point, also witnessed in the Russian-Ukraine war, is that electronic warfare is becoming vital to battlefield survival, with the Indian aircraft not apparently equipped with a key radar jammer unlike British and US jets.

China has invested heavily in what experts called “a gold standard” Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar capability, which allows it to miniaturise the system and put it inside a 200kg missile. By comparison Raytheon's Phantomstrike missile is miniaturised at 60kg.

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“We've now seen Chinese weapons in action and the big question mark over the Chinese military build-up has been is their stuff actually any good?” said Tim Ripley, editor of the Defence Eye website. “This suggests that it is.”

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Once fired the PL-15E is blasted by a rocket booster to hypersonic speed of Mach 5 (6,200kph) then guided onto target by the J-10C fighter’s radar before, in the closing stages, switching to its own Aesa radar.

It can then hone in with accuracy with a second burst of speed being injected about 10km from target making it extremely difficult to evade.


Radar jammers
However, if the Rafales had been fitted with Aesa, then this would likely have picked up the threat from some distance.

An Aesa radar would have potentially allowed the Rafale to jam the Pakistan fighter and the missile in its closing stages as it allows the jet to create of beam of focused electronic noise.

“It makes it really quick to neutralise a threat from one of these missiles,” said Mr Ripley.

However, even if equipped with Aesa it is questionable whether the Rafale could have dodged the missile, said a leading defence company aviation expert.

While the radar “would help” its defences, missiles such as the PL-15E are so potent that “once you've been locked on by one it's very difficult to get away from the kill zone because those missiles are so quick,” he added.

Furthermore, if the missile detects jamming then it has the ability to quickly jump to another frequency.


French blushes
What is certain is that the Rafale wreckage, found near the Indian city of Bathinda, will be “pored over by the French because they really will want to know what happened,” said Paul Beaver, a military aviation expert.

Further humiliation for the Indians, as well as the French, was that its air force operates a wing of 36 Rafale F3Rs, the warplane’s most advanced version.

The aviation company source called it a “big, big blow to the French” because Rafale had been “touted as a cheap alternative” to the RAF Typhoon and American fighters.

“While pilot training could be part of the problem if you don't have the best equipment, then you are at a disadvantage,” he added.

There is a suggestion that the shoot-downs could be attributed to pilot error although it also proves Pakistan’s aerial combat skills.

“This demonstrates that the Pakistan Air Force is as effective as everyone always thinks it is. It's smaller than India’s but makes up for it in training and motivation,” Mr Beaver said.

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Distant dogfights
The aerial battle also marks the start of a new era of aerial warfare in which the incident showed the “very interesting development in long range missile snipers,” said Mr Ripley.

“Long range air-to-air combat is now a big trend in aerial warfare,” he added. “On the back of this lots of the air forces will be busy trying to revamp their electronic warfare effectiveness trying to neutralise these missiles. It’s a big growth area.”