On 14 October 2021, the Pakistan Army (PA) announced that it inducted the Chinese HQ-9/P long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.
According to the tri-services’ media arm, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the HQ-9/P joined the PA’s ‘Comprehensive Layered Integrated Air Defence’ (CLIAD) system. The ISPR added that the HQ-9/P offers a range of “over 100 kilometres” with “Single Short Kill Probability.”
Analysis
Pakistan was never known for heavily investing in SAM systems, certainly not to the scale of its neighbours India and Iran, or most other major military powers for that matter.
With the exception of a limited HQ-2 deployment in the 1980s, the bulk of Pakistan’s SAMs did not offer more than 20-25 km in range. This, in comparison to India’s arsenal of Russian-origin S-300s and Buk SAMs, exposed Pakistan’s lack of interest in SAMs in the 1990s and 2000s.
This is not to say Pakistan was negligent. Pakistan’s coffers are not as full as India’s, so it frequently makes trade-offs when prioritizing programs. If anything, Pakistan likely understood the value of strong ground-based air defence (GBAD) development. However, it focused on other areas first.
Pakistan bought offensive, stand-off range weapons (SOW), electronic countermeasures (ECM), airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, and multirole fighter aircraft. Pakistan used each of these key assets in its response to India’s Balakot strikes in 2019, and it was pleased with the results.
However, decision-makers across the tri-services earmarked funds for significant air defence investments for both land and sea. The HQ-9/P is the culmination of that initiative. In just the last 10 years, Pakistan’s SAM coverages extend beyond 100 km, completely outdoing decades of narrow reach.
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