On 03 November, the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) press wing, the Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR), announced via a social media post on X that the PAF successfully test-fired a Fa’az air-to-air missile (AAM).
“Pakistan has conducted successful flight test of first indigenously developed Fa’az air-to-air missile,” stated the PAF DGPR, adding, “Fa’az will significantly enhance operational flexibility of Pakistan Air Force, further strengthening the country’s overall defense posture.”
In a video clip released by the PAF DGPR, a JF-17 Thunder Block-1 (09-109) was shown firing a Fa’az AAM configured with an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker from an underwing weapons pylon. This specific JF-17 was among the first aircraft that underwent a major overhaul at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) since 2019, indicating that it is among the PAF’s older Thunder aircraft.
Officially revealed by Global Industrial and Defence Solutions (GIDS) – the commercial arm of Pakistan’s lead OEM, the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) – in 2023, the Fa’az is an AAM platform with a range of over 100 km. The Fa’az can be equipped with an IIR seeker (as tested) or an active radar-homing (ARH) seeker. The IIR seeker reportedly provides a detection range of 40 km, while the ARH seeker’s is 25 km.
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