One of the marque aspects of Pakistan’s defence modernization efforts is its widespread drive to improve its ground-based and sea-based air defence environments. Since Pakistan started this process in the early 2010s, it has improved its situational awareness, targeting, and surface-to-air missile (SAM) capabilities.
The bulk of Pakistan’s SAM acquisitions are from China. However, when it comes to radars and specialized naval SAMs, Pakistan is sourcing from a more diverse supplier base.
Land
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had set the basis for the country’s integrated air defence ground environment system (ADGES) in 1975 by forming Pakistan Air Defence Command. In 1976, the PAF initiated “Project Crystal,” under which it added six AN/TPS-43 radars and 45 Mobile Pulse Doppler Radar (MPDR) systems.
The AN/TPS-43 had provided the long-range, high-altitude coverage, while the MPDRs formed the bulk of the short-range, low-altitude coverages. Under this set up, the PAF also leveraged a real-time data-link to connect its sensor feeds to monitors across the PAF’s three regional commands.
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