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In surprise news, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) unveiled plans for a new lead-in fighter-trainer (LIFT) with an afterburning engine. Leonardo and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) are working on their proposals, but it...

Besides inducting many new surface, sub-surface and aerial platforms, the Pakistan Navy is focusing on improving its network-enabled warfare and threat-response capabilities against conventional and non-conventional threats. It is also focused on improving Pakistan’s maritime economy....Read More

The Pakistan Navy announced that its MILGEM purchase from Turkey’s ASFAT A.S. comprises of two parts: three anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvettes and a lone, domestically designed, frigate. The final ship will start the ‘Jinnah-class’ line of...

According to Turkish Aerospace, the Pakistan Army Aviation Corps (PAA) is slated to receive its first T129 ATAK attack helicopters in late 2020. Currently, Turkish Aerospace says that it does not expect problems with receiving third-party...

Preliminary observations from the 2018 International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) held in Karachi, Pakistan on 27-30 November 2018. ...Read More

The Pakistan Navy is interested in Turkish Aerospace’s Anka-S medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). According to Turkish Aerospace, negotiations are underway....Read More

Be it an improved sensor and avionics suite or the ability to deploy a miniature cruise missile and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) torpedo, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is promising large capability gains with the...

Turkish Aerospace says T129 ATAK attack helicopter deliveries to Pakistan are still on-track; Pakistan is reportedly interested in the Anka UAV; the 12 Bell Helicopter AH-1Z built for Pakistan will be stored, but not re-routed....Read More

The US shipbuilder Swiftships says that talks are ongoing with Pakistan for an undisclosed platform to build at Karachi Shipyards & Engineering Works (KSEW); the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is now reportedly seeking a Lead-in-Fighter-Trainer (LIFT);...

Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) orders CNC machines Usel Makina in Turkey; the Pakistan Navy (PN) commissions its new 17,000-ton tanker – PNS Moawin; the Pakistan Navy commences its marquee exercise – ‘Sea Spark 2018’; ...Read More

This is a compilation of verifiable information regarding the subsystems, costs and timelines regarding the Pakistan Navy’s Agosta 90B submarine upgrade program....Read More

This is a review of ancillary Pakistani defence news topics with short-hand analysis to provide clarity and context. Is Pakistan buying Wing Loong II UAVs from China? On 12 October, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) concluded...

On 05 October 2018, New Delhi inked a $5.5 billion US contract with Rosoboronexport for the purchase of Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems. ...Read More

Having brought the JF-17 Thunder to fruition, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is now setting its sights on the future, i.e. a next-generation fighter (NGF) platform. Through Project Azm, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) will spearhead the...

The Pakistan Navy’s (PN) Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi reportedly stated that the PN is seeking a new, jet-powered maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) to replace its aging P-3C Orion MPAs. As per Adm....

The Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) search for a domestically built, sanction-free multi-role fighter ended through the induction of the JF-17 Thunder. However, it had been a long-term process with starts and stops that, arguably, date as...

The emergence of the JF-17 as the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) backbone fighter certainly prevented many adverse scenarios, not least continuing to rely on the F-7P as the workhorse into the 2020s. However, though a solution...

During the 2018 International Military-Technical Forum “Army 2018”, which took place in Moscow, Russia in August 2018, Russia’s commercial trade agency for defence Rosoboronexport announced that it would consider trading in the local currencies of its...

AK-308: Kalashnikov’s New 7.62 NATO Rifle During the 2018 International Military-Technical Forum “Army 2018” in August 2018, Russia’s Kalashnikov Concern unveiled a new 7.62x51 mm NATO assault rifle intended for overseas users, the AK-308. According to...

Turkey’s current tensions with the US have cast doubt on the viability of Turkish Aerospace’s sale of 30 T129 ATAK attack helicopters to Pakistan. Granted, this has largely emanated from observers who are uncertain if the...

On the heels of cutting $300 m in intended funding to Pakistan under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will make an official visit to Pakistan to meet the new...

Pakistan is reportedly planning to have Russia upgrade its T-80UD main battle tanks (MBT); the Pakistan Army is bolstering its self-propelled artillery with surplus M109L howitzers from Italy; the PRSS-O1 (i.e. Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite) is...

In light of current tensions between Ankara and Washington – which escalated to Washington ordering a stay on the delivery of F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft to Turkey through its newly-signed 2019 National Defence Authorization Act...

On 13 August 2018, US President Donald Trump signed into law the 2019 National Defence Authorization Act, a $716 billion bill outlining the US’ fiscal defence priorities for the next year. A marquee aspect of the...

On 06 and 07 August, the respective defence ministries of Pakistan and Russia had conducted their first bilateral meeting under the Russian-Pakistan Military Advisory Committee on Defence and Security. In addition to discussing “prospects of bilateral...

On the heels of Russia and Pakistan signing a memorandum-of-understanding (MoU) to enhance naval cooperation, discussion surrounding the potential scope of bilateral defence ties between Pakistan and Russia has again emerged. Simply, New Delhi’s preference for...

Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) signed a memorandum-of-understanding (MoU) with Havelsan, a Turkish defence electronics vendor, to co-develop subsystems for PAC’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program and to contribute towards the Kamra Aviation City initiative....Read More

Despite an overt push by Cape Town to court Pakistan’s defence market, the Pakistani armed forces are not pursuing the defence technology and development opportunities available in South Africa, notably through Denel Group and Paramount Group....Read More

An analysis of how Pakistan’s purchase of 30 Turkish Aerospace T129 ATAK attack helicopters will improve the air combat capabilities of the Pakistan Army Aviation Corps (PAA)....Read More

Between 2016 and 2018, Turkey booked nearly $3 billion US in big-ticket defence sales to Pakistan, with items ranging from 30 T129 ATAK attack helicopters, four MILGEM Ada corvettes, a subsystems upgrade for Pakistan’s three Agosta...

On 13 July, the Turkish Undersecretary of Defence Industries (SSM) Ismail Demir announced that Pakistan inked a contract for 30 T129 ATAK attack helicopters from Turkish Aerospace (TA), formerly known Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). Following the...

On 20 June 2018, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari signed the country’s next fiscal budget – i.e. the 2018 Appropriation Bill of the Federal Government of Nigeria – into law. Not only did the final budget retain...

In June 2018, the Pakistan Army’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa led a delegation to Poland with the aim of visiting the Polish Ministry of Defence and the Polish Armament Group (Polska...

The capacity to effectively undertake stand-off range targeting – especially by networking sensors to offboard munitions – along with building a comprehensive situational awareness capability is essential to Pakistan’s anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) efforts. Not only...

On 26 June 2018, the Azerbaijani Military had showcased a Roketsan SOM air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) as part of its annual parade in the capital Baku. Although the Azerbaijani Air Force (AAF) has a number of...

Pakistan’s Foreign Office announced that the Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite (PRSS-01) – and the accompanying PakTES-1A (Pakistan Technology Evaluation Satellite) – will be launched into orbit in July....Read More

Export-Import registries in April 2018 show the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) taking delivery of radar equipment from Saab AB in Sweden, potentially indicating that the PAF’s follow-on order of three Saab 2000-based Erieye airborne early warning...

Responding to the Brazilian Navy’s bid for a new corvette, Turkey’s Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik A.Ş. (STM) partnered with a number of local defence suppliers to offer a modified variant of its MILGEM Ada corvette. In contrast...

The Pakistan Navy is well on its way in terms of constructing a sizable conventional submarine fleet. Its three existing Agosta 90Bs are undergoing a mid-life upgrade ahead of the much-anticipated delivery of eight Hangor (II)-class...

Building upon an earlier analysis of Pakistan’s limited ability to build sea-control capabilities, even with an expanded surface fleet, Quwa offers an analysis of an alternative method to maritime defence: anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD). The advancements...

In June 2018, the Pakistan Navy announced that it ordered a total of four Type 054A multi-mission frigates through China Shipbuilding Trading Co. Ltd. (CSTC). With induction of the four ships slotted by 2021, it is...

Today, the Armed Forces of Pakistan have at least three marquee and indispensable big-ticket weapon systems in the pipeline from China: in 2015, it inked a purchase of eight air-independent propulsion (AIP)-powered submarines; in 2017, the...

On 24 May, Turkey’s ruling party – the Justice and Development Party (AKP) – claimed that Pakistan signed its contract for 30 Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) T129 ATAK attack helicopters. The AKP’s statement is as follows...

On 01 June 2018, the Pakistan Navy officially announced that it ordered a total of four Type 054A multi-mission frigates from China Shipbuilding Trading Co. Ltd. (CSTC). Pakistan ordered its Type 054As in two batches of...

Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence Production (MoDP) has signed a contract with China Shipbuilding Trading Co. Ltd. (CSTC) for two Type 054A multi-mission frigates. According to the MoDP, this is a follow-on order to an earlier order...

At Eurasia Airshow 2018 Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Ukroboronprom’s (UOP) Antonov announced that they will jointly proceed with the development and production of the Antonov An-188 military transport aircraft. The An-188 would add to TAI’s...

This Quwa Premium report examines the viability of commercial offsets (tied to big-ticket defence purchases) in Pakistan. In this report, Quwa briefly reviews the checkered history of offset packages, especially in the developing world. ...Read More

Speaking to TRT Haber, the head of Turkey’s Undersecretariat of Defence Industries (SSM) Dr. Ismail Demir stated that Pakistan could sign a contract for Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) T129 ATAK attack helicopters in the coming weeks....Read More

The starting-point for understanding Pakistan’s rationale for having nuclear weapons is to visit the history of its foreign relations and security efforts. Naturally, one might view India’s underground nuclear tests in 1974 – i.e. Smiling Buddha...

In April 2018, the AFP News Agency published an article detailing its visit to the Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF) at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC). The complete AFP article is available on Dawn News, but it provides...

On 28 May 1998, Pakistan conducted five simultaneous underground nuclear tests in the Ras Koh Hills in Chagai District, Baluchistan. Though there had been rumblings of Pakistan already possessing – and even testing a live nuclear...

This is a review of main and ancillary Pakistani defence news topics along with short-hand analysis to offer clarity and context: Pakistan announced its defence budget for 2018-2019; the Public Sector Development Program’s (PSDP) budget includes...

On 20 April 2018, IHS Jane’s reported that the Indian Air Force (IAF) had formally ended its involvement in the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) it had started with Russia in 2007. Official confirmation has yet...

An analysis of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex’s (PAC) efforts to export the JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter, specifically in terms of potential calls for offsets, transfer-of-technology and partnerships. Is Pakistan able to offer such concessions? ...Read More

On April 20, a retired Indian Army officer – Col. Vinayak Bhat – provided a detailed insight of the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) new main operating base (MOB), PAF Bholari. Available on The Print, Bhat’s analysis...

In his comments to the Russian News Agency RIA Novosti, Pakistan’s Minister of Defence (MoD) Khurram Dastgir Khan stated that Pakistan was both interested and in talks with Russia for big-ticket defence items. Quwa Premium discussed...

Though it was not mentioned by the Pakistani Minister of Defence, Khurram Dastgir Khan, in his comments to the Russian News Agency RIA Novosti, helicopters are an issue of mutual interest between Russia and Pakistan. The...

Pakistan’s Minister of Defence (MoD) Khurram Dastgir Khan was quoted by the Russian News Agency RIA Novosti that Pakistan had begun negotiating with Russia for various big-ticket armaments, including T-90 main battle tanks (MBT), Su-35 fighters...

On 05 April, Pakistan’s Minister of Defence (MoD) Khurram Dastgir Khan confirmed to the Russian News Agency RIA Novosti that Pakistan had begun talks with Russia for the purchase of Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E multi-role fighters, T-90...

Pakistan has been negotiating with Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) and its defence contractor - Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.Ş. (STM) – for the purchase of four MILGEM Ada corvettes since June 2016. Pakistan...

The Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology (NRIET) is integrating its newly-revealed KLJ-7A active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar to the forthcoming JF-17 Block-III. NRIET says that the new AESA radar will provide improved range, target tracking/engagement...

This is a review of ancillary Pakistani defence news topics with short-hand analysis to provide clarity and context. In March 2018: 3 Turkish T129 attack helicopters took part at the Pakistan Day Parade; ASELPOD spotted on...

In his final address to Air Headquarters, the previous Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Sohail Aman outlined the need to maintain quantitative parity with India in terms of...

With the JF-17 Block-III’s design being ‘finalized’ following a two-and-a-half-year period, this article examines why the JF-17 Block-III matters to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). It is not simply an issue of it being a more...

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its research on worldwide defence procurement activities from 2013 to 2017. Quwa analyzes SIPRI’s findings regarding the reduction in Pakistan’s defence imports, touching upon structural economic woes and...

On 03 March 2018, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) formally equipped the No. 88 Search-and-Rescue (SAR) squadron with two Leonardo AW139 utility helicopters. The No. 88 “Combat Support Squadron and Advanced Helicopter Training School” operates from...

Under RIBAT-2018, the Pakistan Navy sought to validate its interoperability with the Pakistan Air Force as well as its capacity to undertake peacetime maritime security tasks, particularly in terms of interdicting ‘sub-conventional warfare’ threats....Read More

Introduction: The Pakistan Navy (PN) and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) conducted a joint exercise in the North Arabian Sea – RIBAT-2018 – from 24 February to 06 March 2018 to “validate … war fighting concepts under...

Following a spate of conflicting and official statements and news reports, the Pakistani government plainly confirmed that the country will be placed on the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) ‘grey list’ from June 2018. On 01...

Quwa Premium’s Monthly Report for February 2018 provides a detailed overview of the leading events affecting the development of the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter program. It starts with discussing the factors that...

In light of Saab revealing the GlobalEye Swing Role Surveillance System (SRSS) platform, one might ask if the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), which flies four Saab Erieye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft with another...

Marketed as a ‘supersonic anti-ship missile’, the CM-400AKG is among the proposed stand-off range weapon options for the JF-17 Thunder, a multi-role fighter co-produced by Pakistan and China. The CM-400AKG is marketed with a weight of...

The Airbus Helicopters H125M Fennec forms the mainstay of the Pakistan Army Aviation Corps’ (PAA) high-altitude operations fleet. On 26 January 2018, two PAA H125Ms were deployed to execute the rescue of two European climbers on...

This is an overview of the current state of Pakistan’s bilateral relations with Russia in terms of foreign relations, economic/trade relations and defence ties. It is too early to expect robust bilateral defence relations, but even...

Updates to ongoing Pakistani defence procurements – e.g. deliveries and contractual changes – with accompanying short-form analyses: (1) Aselsan ASELPOD targeting pod deliveries; (2) JF-17 in-flight refueling pods reaching squadrons; (3) ATR-72 MPAs nearing delivery; and...

On 01 February, observers spotted a large cannon turret placed onboard a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 072III landing ship tank (LST) along with three shipping containers aft of the cannon. Analysts took the comparatively...

Introduction On 02 February, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) announced that it established an instrumented Weapon Test Range (WTR) at the Sonmiani Firing Range. This is an important induction for the PAF – and the Pakistani...

Ukraine’s re-armament efforts – and in tandem, its defence industry development – present opportunities for countries requiring technology....Read More

Introduction/Summary On his official visit to Turkey in November 24-26, 2017, Pakistan’s Minister of Defence Production (MoDP) Rana Tanveer Hussain stated that a potential Pakistani purchase of T129 ATAK attack helicopters from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI)...

Introduction On 26-27 January 2018, the President of Indonesia Joko Widodo paid an official state visit to Pakistan. The visit was earnestly received by Pakistan, which not only presented Mr. Widodo and Indonesia’s First Lady Mrs....

Introduction The core element of the Pakistan Navy’s long-term development efforts is the expansion of its submarine fleet, which is slated to swell to as many as 13 ships equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP) from the...

Introduction Pakistan is expanding its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fleet through the procurement of new medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones, most notably with Project Azm (resolve), under which a MALE UAV is being developed along with a...

Introduction China is a marquee element in Pakistan’s foreign relations landscape since the 1960s, having resulted in a spate of big-ticket defence procurement and, since 2015, significant economic interaction via the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). However,...

Quwa Premium Sample: The following article is a free and complete Quwa Premium sample for all readers. At Quwa, we make a concerted effort to provide high-quality, detailed and timely research and analysis of current Pakistani defence and...

Introduction On January 06 photos emerged purporting that a NORINCO VT4 main battle tank (MBT) was in Pakistan, ostensibly for trials for an apparent Pakistan Army bid for an off-the-shelf MBT to augment its growing –...

Introduction On January 03, the Pakistan Navy announced that it test-fired a new anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) with land-attack capabilities, the “Harba.” The dual-ASCM/land-attack cruise missile (LACM) was fired from an Azmat-class fast attack craft (FAC),...

U.S. President Donald J. Trump began 2018 with a tweet accusing Pakistan of duplicity with regards to the ongoing – and over 16-year-long – U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan. Trump reiterated how the U.S. provided Pakistan...

Introduction In his speech during the AirTech ’17 conference in December 2017 at Air University Islamabad, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Sohail Aman, stated that...

Quwa Premium Sample: The following report is a free and complete Quwa Premium sample for all readers. At Quwa, we make a concerted effort to provide high-quality, detailed and timely research and analysis of current Pakistani defence and...

Prologue This article is part of a series Quwa will publish under Quwa Premium through 2018. For this week, we are broadly overviewing the key aspects of Pakistan’s relations with China, which – in some respects,...

Introduction On December 07, the then 41-member Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) unanimously approved of India’s entry into the WA. Like the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which India joined in June 2016 as its 35th member, the...

Introduction Jointly developed, marketed and produced by Russia and India, the BrahMos is a supersonic anti-ship cruising missile (ASCM). Weighing 2,500 kg and with an engagement range of 450 km, the Brahmos is one of India’s...

Prologue: This is a continuation of the Quwa Premium articles discussing the Pakistani defence industry, specifically its inability to produce a domestic marketplace to which the Pakistani armed forces and foreign customers can consult, its nascent...

Officially, the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) fifth-generation fighter (FGF) program is being executed under ‘Project Azm’ (resolve). Under the PAF’s long-term plan, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra has been entrusted to manufacture a FGF as well as...

Constructing a Domestic Marketplace of Products One of the drawbacks of nascent private sector activity in the defence industry, especially in new product development, is that Pakistan lacks a domestic marketplace to consult for its requirements....

In 2015 I founded Quwa with the aim of discussing Pakistani defence issues. In the lead-up to releasing my first post, I had found that there was a dearth in accessible information on Pakistani defence programs....

The Defence Export Promotion Organization (DEPO) called upon the Government of Pakistan to establish a coherent policy framework for exporting defence products. The statement was conveyed by the Director of Coordination Brig. Gen. Waheed Mumtaz in...

Sticking to time-tested designs that are proven to work is not inherently a problem. However, with Pakistan’s focus to boosting exports, then product catalogues will face scrutiny....Read More