IRIA News

Pakistan’s Air Force has affirmed the possession of hypersonic missile capabilities, becoming one of the first South Asian countries to claim so. The announcement came only a few days after Pakistan unveiled its plans to acquire the Chinese-made 5th-generation FC-31 stealth fighter jet.

The announcement of Pakistan’s advanced hypersonic missile capabilities comes in the same week when Pakistan Air Force (PAF) boasted of striking Iran within its territory, to retaliate against an Iranian ballistic missile attack that remained undetected and uninterrupted on January 16, 2023, to hit targets on Pakistani soil.

In its weekly statement, the Pakistan Air Force said that it has undertaken “a transformative modernization initiative to counter evolving threats in the current geostrategic threat scenario, prioritizing the induction of modern systems through smart acquisitions and indigenization.”

“The acquisition of J-10C fighter jets, Unmanned Aerial Systems, modern electronic warfare platforms, force multipliers, state-of-the-art integrated air defense systems, air mobility platforms, High to medium air defense and hypersonic missile capabilities at an unprecedented pace has bolstered the PAF’s warfighting capabilities,” the statement added without providing details on the hypersonic missile.

Pakistan recently announced a plan to procure the FC-31 stealth fighter jets, also known as the J-31 fighter jets, from China. In his speech at the induction ceremony for Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets on January 2, 2024, Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu confirmed that FC-31 would enter service soon.

Earlier this month, Pakistan Air Force inducted a new batch of J-10C Firebird fighters in its fleet of fighter jets to enhance the country’s defense capabilities. The induction of the new fighter was also accompanied by a batch of Turkish-made combat drones.

Other than J-10C fighter jets, Pakistan operates more than 120 JF-17 light fighter jets jointly developed by Pakistan and China. Other weapons and equipment acquired from Chian include HQ-9BE long-range surface-to-air missile systems, HQ-16FE mid-to-long-range surface-to-air missile systems and the YLC-8E anti-stealth 3D surveillance radar systems. PAF also released a video featuring the CM-400AKG missile.

Pakistan acquires most of its military technology from China, which is also Islamabad’s closest ally. China possesses an air-launched YJ-21E hypersonic missile which was unveiled in 2022 at Zhuhai Airshow. The missile is usually paired with an H-6K Badger bomber, an aircraft type not in service with Pakistan.

Regional rivalry

With India acquiring modern Rafael jets and rapidly enhancing its air force, it has become inevitable for Pakistan to upgrade its fleet of fighter jets with Chinese-made counterparts to maintain aerial superiority over its fiercest regional rival.

Several Indian defense analysts have played down Pakistan’s claims by suggesting that claims of a missile being ‘hypersonic’ can be “misleading,” as almost all ballistic missiles attain hypersonic speeds at some point during their flight.

A hypersonic missile is a type of missile that travels at speeds exceeding Mach 5, which is five times the speed of sound (approximately 3,836 miles per hour or 6,174 kilometers per hour) or faster. These missiles are characterized by their ability to fly at extremely high speeds, making them more challenging to detect, track, and intercept compared to slower-moving projectiles.

Currently, China and Russia are the only two major military powers to have battle-ready hypersonic missiles. The Russian hypersonic missile, Kh-47 Kinzhal, commonly referred to as the ‘Dagger,’ has been used in Ukraine. For a long time, it was considered that it was impossible to intercept a hypersonic missile, however, the was met with a surprising turn of events when reports surfaced suggesting the possible interception of the Kinzhal by the recently deployed Patriot air defense system in May 2023.