Comment by Riaz Haq yesterday

Pakistan relies on a multi-layered counter-drone and short-range air defense network combining Chinese surface-to-air missiles with advanced Turkish anti-aircraft gun systems. The Pakistan Air Force publicly showcased this integrated shield in September 2026. [1] (https://www.facebook.com/fetchpakistan/posts/pakistan-air-force-has...)Key Systems in the NetworkHQ-17AE (Missile Shield): This is a mobile, wheeled missile system built by China. It protects against low-flying drones, cruise missiles, and helicopters. As reported by South China Morning Post, “The HQ-17AE has an operational range of up to 20km (12 miles) and a flight altitude of up to 10km.” [1] (https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3366797/chinas-hq-...), [2] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HenLOLckyYc)ASELSAN KORKUT (Gun Shield): This is a Turkish twin 35 mm gun system designed to destroy incoming drone swarms. According to Migflug, it features “a twin 35 mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun firing programmable airburst ammunition out to about four kilometres.” [1] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_equipment_of_the_Pakistan_Air...), [2] (https://migflug.com/afterburner/pakistan-hq-17ae-air-defence-china-...)ASELSAN ŞAHİN (Point Defense): This is a mobile 40 mm smart-munition system from Turkey. It handles ultra-low altitude destruction of tiny rockets and drones. [1] (https://migflug.com/afterburner/pakistan-hq-17ae-air-defence-china-...), [2] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_equipment_of_the_Pakistan_Air...)Broader Air Defense IntegrationPakistan places these short-range tactical units inside a wider national air defense umbrella. Longer-range systems like the Chinese HQ-9P and HQ-16 provide the upper tiers of protection for major cities and military bases. [1] (https://www.facebook.com/telegraphpk/posts/the-pakistan-air-force-h...), [2] (https://www.facebook.com/fetchpakistan/posts/pakistan-air-force-has...)

Comment by Riaz Haq 19 hours ago

Pakistan police counter drone attacks with Ukraine-style nets

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260909-pakistan-police-coun...

Resembling fishing nets, the mesh lacks the sophistication of other military hardware.

Their use shows how lessons from the war in Ukraine are reverberating on distant fronts such as Pakistan, where security forces are improvising new defences against Islamist insurgents armed with the cheap, easily obtainable devices.

"These drones are easily available in markets, and with a bit of modification a kit for dropping shells can be installed. So it is quite easy and everyone has access to them," Khyber District police officer Waqar Ahmad told AFP.

"We have started installing these... nets to protect our personnel from aerial attacks and to reduce the risk of attacks involving drones."

Made from extra-durable thread, the bespoke, reinforced nets can scupper attacks by entangling enemy drones or by catching munitions, like mortars or grenades, high above the compounds so that they cause less damage if they explode

They are suspended several metres (feet) above the ground, between the top of the front of buildings and roadside concrete walls, forming a protective canopy.

In some frontline Ukrainian cities, nets are hung high and wide across long stretches of road, forming corridors like spiders' webs to thwart aerial attacks.

Draped over the facade of several police premises in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), which borders Afghanistan, the nets are a new line of defence alongside concrete blocks and other barriers.

KP is experiencing a growing insurgency by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), with dozens of police killed in attacks on checkpoints this year.

Police are playing catch-up against the militant group, which has deployed drones extensively in attacks since 2024.

About 30 percent of police stations still lack their own devices, a senior officer in the provincial capital Peshawar told AFP.

Drones are readily available at specialised electronics shops across the province, with AFP finding them in around a dozen such stores in shopping malls in Peshawar alone.

They have become a vital part of the TTP's attack toolkit, used not only to strike targets but also for surveillance.

Another senior officer from KP said the militants use drones to monitor "every movement" of their operations, "which creates serious difficulties for us in countering them".

For Muhammad Aamir, a policeman posted at a checkpoint along a road in the province, the nets, alongside boundary walls, have "considerably" reduced the risk of drone attacks and hand grenades being lobbed at the building.

"These incidents caused significant damage and casualties among the police and other security forces. However, the situation has improved now," the 38-year-old told AFP.

But with attacks continuing to claim lives, locals say police need to do more to protect them.

"We want some peace and security in this area. Either the police post should be removed from this location, or the authorities should eliminate the threat posed by the Taliban from this area," said 48-year-old corn seller Gul Haleem.

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