Comment by Riaz Haq on November 4, 2025 at 9:47am

Zohaib Ahmed 
@Zohaib_Author
Pakistan’s recent fielding and flight trials of the P-282 / “SMASH” anti-ship ballistic missile (ship-launched test reported at ~350 km range in Nov 2024) mark a concrete, near-term ASBM capability tailored for A2/AD operations and littoral denial. Technically, Pakistan’s ASBM approach emphasizes platform diversity and distributive launch (ship-launched P-282/SMASH plus sub-launched Babur-III SLCM), relatively compact ranges matched to Arabian Sea engagement geometry, and integration with naval ISR (UAVs, coastal radars, and satcom) to enable over-the-horizon targeting and terminal guidance, design choices that favour tactical surprise, salvo saturation, and rapid dispersal.

https://x.com/Zohaib_Author/status/1985455738446365056

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Zohaib Ahmed 
@Zohaib_Author
The Zarb coastal battery’s core strength is its networked, mobile anti-ship strike package that pairs long-range cruise missiles with integrated maritime ISR and fire-control, enabling rapid, distributed salvoes from dispersed launchers rather than a single fixed battery.
Technically, it combines coastal AESA or shore radars, EO/IR cueing, secure datalinks to airborne and shipborne sensors, and missiles with INS/GNSS midcourse guidance plus a terminal seeker for sea-skimming approach and target discrimination.
That architecture gives you three decisive advantages: stand-off strike so your shooters stay outside hostile air-defence envelopes, salvo saturation that overwhelms layered interceptors, and shoot-and-scoot mobility that limits preemption.

https://x.com/Zohaib_Author/status/1985644915305693216

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Zohaib Ahmed 
@Zohaib_Author
Why Pakistan Isn’t Losing Sleep Over the BrahMos Missile?

Once hailed as a symbol of Indo-Russian engineering genius, the BrahMos was supposed to change South Asia’s strategic balance. But in the 2025 conflict, it barely scratched the surface, literally. Despite its Mach-3 speed, Pakistan’s defences absorbed the strike with minimal damage.

The data tells a blunt truth: speed without impact is just noise.

Pakistan’s integrated air defence systems, advanced electronic warfare, and hardened infrastructure have turned the BrahMos from a “game-changer” into a glorified firecracker.

Read how perception met performance, and lost.

https://zohaibauthor.com/2025/11/04/why-pakistan-is-least-worried-a...

https://x.com/Zohaib_Author/status/1985636867363258411

Comment by Riaz Haq on November 5, 2025 at 4:42pm

Turkish Century
@TurkishCentury
🇵🇰🇹🇷 Pakistan's Navy has reportedly inked a contract with the #Karachi Shipyard to begin the construction of the advanced #Jinnah-class multirole frigate!

Based on the #ASFAT AS3400 platform with full ToT (Transfer of Technology), the Jinnah-class is the most recent outcome of the extensive Turkish-Pakistani cooperation in #shipbuilding and naval systems engineering that is rooted in the #Milgem-PN program that gave the world the formidable #Babur-class heavy corvettes.

Jinnah is a highly advanced 3300+ton frigate customized for the unique needs of brotherly Pakistan with the goal of complete domination of the seas, as well as the sky above and the depths below. Armed with #antiship, #antiaircraft, cruise missiles as well as heavy torpedoes, it fully covers all aspects of littoral & blue-water operations, anti-ship/air/submarine warfare, and power projection in the high seas.

First steel-cutting is expected within a few months with plans to build a total of six (6) frigates.

https://x.com/TurkishCentury/status/1985985856453120185

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 17, 2025 at 10:16am

The Pakistan Navy’s fourth Hangor-class submarine, named Ghazi, was launched at Shuangliu Base in Wuhan, China, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced on Wednesday.


https://www.dawn.com/news/1961663

With the Ghazi’s launch, the ISPR hailed “another significant milestone” by the navy, where all four submarines being built in China are currently undergoing “rigorous sea trials and are in the final stages of being handed over to Pakistan”.

“The Government of Pakistan signed an agreement with China for [the] acquisition of eight Hangor-class submarines. Under this contract, four submarines are being built in China and [the] remaining four will be constructed in Pakistan by Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works Ltd (KS&EW), under Transfer of Technology (ToT),” the ISPR said in a statement.

The military’s media wing added that the submarines will be fitted with advanced weaponry and sensors capable of engaging targets at standoff ranges.


“Hangor-class submarines will be pivotal in maintaining peace and stability in the region,” the statement read, adding that the launch ceremony was attended by senior officials from China and Pakistan, exemplifying deepening bilateral cooperation.

The navy launched the first of the new submarines in April 2024, while the second and third were launched on March 15 and August 15 this year, respectively.

The submarine class, named after the PNS Hangor, is a diesel-electric attack submarine with air-independent propulsion technology, which allows it to travel over greater distances before resurfacing.

During the 1971 Pakistan-India war, the then-PNS Hangor became the first submarine to sink a warship after World War II, sinking an Indian frigate. After being decommissioned, the Hangor is now on display at the Pakistan Maritime Museum in Karachi.

Comment by Riaz Haq on January 4, 2026 at 8:45pm

On 03 January, Pakistan’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) test-fired the Taimoor air-launched cruise missile (ALCM).

https://quwa.org/pakistan-air-force-news/600km-low-altitude-flight-...

According to the ISPR, the Taimoor ALCM “is capable of engaging enemy land and sea targets with high precision at a range of 600 kilometres, carrying a conventional warhead.” In addition, the ISPR highlighted the Taimoor ALCM’s ability to fly at “very low altitudes” to circumvent enemy air defence systems.

Video footage released by the ISPR showed that the Taimoor ALCM was launched from a PAF Mirage 3 ROSE (Retrofit of Strike Element) aircraft, which had been the primary carrier of the PAF’s ALCMs (i.e., the Ra’ad) and stand-off weapon (SOW) systems (i.e., H-2 and H-4) until the mid-to-late-2010s.
Background on the Taimoor ALCM
The Taimoor ALCM is the conventional-use variant of the Ra’ad-II, developed by the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) and unveiled in 2017. Initially, the Taimoor was positioned primarily for the export market by Global Defence and Industrial Solutions (GIDS), the sales and marketing wing of NESCOM. However, in recent years, Pakistan has been working towards re-leveraging its cruise missiles, which had been limited to the strategic (i.e., nuclear) deployment role for conventional warfighting.

Like the Ra’ad-II, the Taimoor ALCM has a range of 600 km (capped to 280-290 km for export purposes) and features the same low-observable (LO) airframe. It has a length of 4.38 m, wingspan of 3.20 m, and a total weight of 1,100 kg to 1,200 kg. The Taimoor has a cruise speed of Mach 0.7 to Mach 0.8, and can be launched at altitudes ranging from 610 m to 7,620 m (i.e., 2,000 ft to 25,000 ft).

In effect, the Taimoor and Ra’ad-II are the same missile, but given different designations to demarcate their conventional and nuclear deployment roles, respectively.

This recent test was significant in its own right as it validated a new capability not previously seen in the Ra’ad-series, i.e., terminal-stage guidance through the new imaging infrared (IIR) seeker.

This IIR seeker is likely the same one GIDS had shown across different NESCOM solutions at the 2024 International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS 2024), from the Taimoor and Harbah cruise missiles to the in-development Rasoob 250 and AZB-81LR. Thus, this test was crucial, as it not only validated a current capability but also a key subsystem that will integrate with future solutions.
Pakistan’s Conventional Capability Push
The PAF’s induction of the Taimoor ALCM (i.e., re-leveraging the strategic Ra’ad/-II for the conventional role) reflects the Pakistani military’s wider push to spread guided strike capabilities beyond the traditional confines of strategic or nuclear deployment.

Historically, Pakistan’s guided munitions ecosystem skewed in two ways: First, it treated precision strike as a specialized mission area – e.g., anti-ship warfare (AShW) and selective attacks aimed at high-value targets (HVT). Second, the lack of industrial-scale production capacity meant that NESCOM’s solutions – e.g., the Ra’ad/II, Babur, etc – could only be built in small numbers. The constraint in missile output then meant that cruise missiles and ballistic missiles were, by default, treated as strategic deterrence assets, not high-tempo conventional warfighting systems.

Comment by Riaz Haq on January 12, 2026 at 6:42pm

Bilal Khan
@bilal_quwa
Quite interesting that the #PakistanNavy tested a SAM, a USV, and a loitering munition on the same day -- i.e., 3 key weapon systems that have risen in importance since the Russia-Ukraine War. I think they were testing or validating a maneuver centered on these 3 types of systems: https://quwa.org/pakistan-navy-news/pakistan-navy-tests-unidentifie...

https://x.com/bilal_quwa/status/2010577508538724713?s=20

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Pakistan Navy Tests New USV & Loitering Munition From Private Sector

https://quwa.org/pakistan-navy-news/pakistan-navy-tests-unidentifie...

On 10 January, the Pakistan Navy (PN) announced it had successfully tested a new unmanned surface vehicle (USV) and a loitering munition. In addition, a PN Tughril-class (Type 054A/P) frigate also carried out a successful live firing of a LY-80(N) surface-to-air missile (SAM).

The loitering munition was confirmed to be a Mudamir LR, produced by the private company Sysverve Aerospace based in Rawalpindi. The Mudamir LR is from a growing portfolio of Shahed-style munitions being developed and produced in Pakistan.

Regarding the USV, the design does not match any of Pakistan’s known USV platforms, including an unnamed platform developed by the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) and others by Stingray Technologies (also developed by NESCOM), Beyond Koncept, and Woot-Tech.

It is possible that the newly tested USV is a technology demonstrator, possibly developed by NESCOM (but not confirmed), which appears to be managing at least two such platforms (one revealed in 2024 and a newer, stealthier strike platform via Stingray Technologies in 2025).

The newly tested USV was equipped with a mast-mounted, stabilized electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) camera turret mounted aft of the hull. This was likely a remote driving camera used to provide the operator with a visual feed and, potentially, basic surveillance and/or targeting capabilities.

In addition, there is a white vertical element near the bow, which could be a communications and/or GNSS antenna within a radome structure. This would likely be the line-of-sight (LoS) control link for the operator to remotely control the USV.

Overall, there are no indications that this USV is configurable for munitions or warheads, so it is probably intended as a simpler system for testing and validation. Thus, the intent of the tests likely had less to do with the hull design and was instead focused on validating the integrated subsystems, such as the datalink and the EO/IR turret, which would be configured into the actual service-ready products.

A Hint at the PN’s Future Defensive Posture
In one day, the PN tested a USV, a SAM, and a loitering munition – i.e., arguably the three core pieces of a scale-driven anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) posture…

Comment by Riaz Haq on August 12, 2026 at 8:47pm

U.S. and Ukrainian Forces Went Head-to-Head in an Exercise. Ukraine’s Drones Won. - The Wall Street Journal.


https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-and-ukrainian-fo...

The exercise, coupled with U.S. casualties in Iran, shows American vulnerabilities to drones—years after the U.S. made uncrewed systems an essential part of warfare. America pioneered using long-range drones in war. The Pentagon has recently spent billions acquiring new drone and counterdrone technology and formed special units to operate it.


Still, in the Middle East this year, the U.S. has struggled to defend against Iran’s long-range drones, which have killed and injured soldiers and destroyed aircraft. 

The drubbing in Germany conveyed lessons from Ukraine focused on short-range battlefield drones. The exercise, held in April and May, tested visiting troops’ ability to operate and defend against the proliferation of smaller, front-line drones that have dominated the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Exercises like Combined Resolve are run precisely so that forces can experience realistic combat conditions. Army leaders in Europe over recent years have taken advantage of having Ukrainian forces on hand to participate and impart their hard-won skills to U.S. and allied troops in practice, on simulated battlefields. The expectation is that failures are educational. British and Swedish exercises have also resulted in easy Ukrainian triumphs.

Eliot Cohen, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said that recent battlefield experience shows how drones of all kinds are essential to modern war.

“It is vital that the U.S. military master that, and thus far, unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case,” he said.

———


Ukrainian drones were doing this so quickly with U.S. vehicles that they had to be sent back into the exercises as new units, or “re-spawned,” to keep the exercise going, a U.S. official briefed on the drill said.

The U.S. reran the training scenario over the two-week engagement. The rotating forces improved their performance, as they became more adept at dispersing and concealing themselves and using electronic warfare, said the Army official. The Ukrainians also switched sides midway through the exercises and helped them use drone technology offensively, which they did effectively, the official said.

Ukrainian troops have become expert in drone warfare over nearly 4½ years of fighting Russia, with operators and their support troops now skilled at continually repairing and adapting drones. Moscow’s forces have also gained invaluable skills. American drone operators lack experience fixing and arming drones under fire, said the person present at the exercise. 


In Ukraine, so many tanks and other armor are destroyed in battle that large parts of the country’s vast front line is almost free of armor.


Some U.S. military officers, though, argue that drones are particularly deadly in this war because it has reached a stalemate with little battlefield movement. In a war of maneuver, the tank and other armor would come back into its own, they say.

But Ukrainian military thinkers such as former chief commander Valeriy Zaluzhniy argue that drone technology has made traditional maneuver warfare unfeasible, for now, explaining the largely static front line in Ukraine’s east. Both Russia and Ukraine are searching for the next breakthroughs in technology and tactics to restore movement to the battlefield.

The exercise showed that the U.S. may struggle to protect that armor as it moves. 

This wasn’t the first time the U.S. has come across Ukrainian drone proficiency. In 2023, a U.S. infantry officer helping train Ukrainian troops realized the U.S. needed to learn from them about drone warfare and designed a training program that other Army units later followed, according to a U.S. official.

Comment by Riaz Haq on August 13, 2026 at 10:37am

Pakistan has unveiled TWO new long range loitering munitions, the D-248 and S-369, at the 2026 Indus Robotics & Autonomous Systems Expo.

🔹 D-248: 2,200–3,000 km range
🔹 S-369: 1,500–2,000 km range
🔹 Payload: 30–50 kg
🔹 D-248 endurance: 12–14 hours
🔹 D-248 top speed: 225 km/h
🔹 S-369 top speed: 220 km/h

🇮🇳 The D-248’s claimed 3,000-km maximum range could place virtually the entire Indian mainland within its potential range envelope, depending on launch location.

🇵🇰 A major expansion of Pakistan’s long range autonomous strike capabilities.

—————-

Heavy Industries Taxila Reveals D-248 and S-369, Pakistan’s Longest-Range Loitering Munitions
PLUS

Heavy Industries Taxila revealed the D-248 and S-369 at the 2026 Indus RAS Expo – Pakistan's longest-range loitering munitions, with up to 3,000 km reach.

Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) revealed two new long-range loitering munitions – the D-248 and the S-369 – at the 2026 Indus Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Expo.

Both designs now rank as Pakistan’s largest and longest-ranged loitering munitions, with the D-248 reaching 2,200 km to 3,000 km and the S-369 covering 1,500 km to 2,000 km.

The D-248 uses a tailless delta configuration – the same broad layout as Iran’s Shahed-136 – and carries a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 240 kg, a wingspan of 3.3 m, a payload of 30-50 kg, a maximum speed of 225 kph, a cruise speed of 185 kph, an endurance of 12-14 hours, and a flight ceiling of up to 4,500 m.

HIT describes the S-369 as an ‘arrow-delta wing’ loitering munition. The S-369 carries an MTOW of 215-225 kg, a wingspan of 4 m, a payload capacity of 30-50 kg, a maximum speed of 220 kph, a cruise speed of 160-180 kph, and a flight ceiling of up to 4,500 m.

Comment by Riaz Haq on August 14, 2026 at 8:08pm

Ukraine's Fire Point Offers FP-1 & FP-2 Drones to Pakistan

https://quwa.org/pakistan/market-intelligence/exclusive-ukraines-fi...




3 Years Ago It Was a Casting Agency. Now It Has $1 Billion in ...
Ukrainian defense manufacturer Fire Point is offering its FP-1 (with a range up to 2,600 km) and FP-2 (200 km range) loitering munitions to Pakistan's private sector. This outreach marks an expansion of Ukrainian defense technology marketing into South Asian private markets. [1, 2]
Key Details of the Offering
FP-1 Munition: Long-range, one-way attack drone capable of carrying substantial payloads over extended distances.
FP-2 Munition: Shorter-range tactical loitering munition suited for a 200 km operational radius.
Engagement: Discussions and marketing efforts are currently aimed at Pakistan’s private defense sector. [1, 2, 3]
—/——-


Ukraine’s Fire Point, an emergent defence contractor and manufacturer headquartered in Kyiv, is actively looking to collaborate with at least one private Pakistani company to exchange technology and products and, potentially, market to the Pakistani military.

Founded in 2022, Fire Point has become one of Ukraine’s leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for not only long-range loitering munitions, but also a growing family of guided surface-to-surface missiles (SSM), such as the FP-5 Flamingo, which repurposes the L-39’s AI-25TL turbofan engine to produce a range of 3,000 km and a stated unit cost of up to $600,000 – i.e., six times less than the Tomahawk. However, recently, Fire Point has also begun fielding tactical ballistic missiles, such as the FP-7 (derived from the S-300 and S-400’s 48N6) and forthcoming FP-9, providing ranges of 200 km and 855 km, respectively. Finally, Fire Point is also working on its own ballistic missile interceptor derived from the FP-7, called FP-7.x Freya.



In terms of its engagement with the Pakistani private sector, Quwa can confirm that Fire Point is promoting its FP-1 Deep Strike, a loitering munition with a range of 2,600 km, as well as FP-2 Front Strike, a loitering munition with a range of up to 200 km.

Quwa cannot disclose the companies engaging with Fire Point, but it is aware that the Ukrainian OEM is engaging Pakistan with the following messaging: “Strategic depth is no longer an advantage.” Drawing on its own strategic realities and operational lessons, Fire Point is aware that Pakistan lacks the geographical space India enjoys, but with the right mix of technologies and doctrine, it can overcome its shortcomings. The remainder of this brief will discuss the current scope of Fire Point’s engagement with the Pakistani private sector and how wider reforms on Pakistan’s side can unlock deeper cooperation.

Comment by Riaz Haq on Sunday

Mohsin Ali
@Mohsin_o2
Indian Navy Vice Admiral (R) says Pakistan’s eight Hangor-class submarines will be a “massive headache” for India.

“Pakistan’s eight Hangors are going to be a BIG headache for us. I would love to be the operational commander on the Pakistani side.”

— Vice Admiral (Retd.) Sanjay Mahindru

https://x.com/Mohsin_o2/status/2099077809209803157?s=20

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Defence Insider
@defence_insider
The Indian Navy has long viewed Pakistan 🇵🇰 Navy’s submarine modernisation with serious concern, and the Type 039B Hangor programme is clearly raising the stakes.

Eight Hangor class submarines, alongside the AGOSTA 90B modernisation, will significantly strengthen Pakistan 🇵🇰 Navy’s undersea warfare capability.

Just wait and see what weapon systems and combat capabilities Pakistan 🇵🇰 Navy has procured alongside its new submarines. The undersea balance in the Arabian Sea could look very different in the coming years. https://x.com/mohsin_o2/status/2099077809209803157/video/1

https://x.com/defence_insider/status/2099081389509693510?s=20

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Ramandeep Bajwa
@Ramandeep_Bajwa
Neglect of air force saw unpleasant surprises in 2019 and 2025 when lack of critical assets like AWACS, aerial tankers, electronic warfare aircraft, missing multiple domain warfare capability allowed the adversary to hold its own against much larger numbers.

https://x.com/Ramandeep_Bajwa/status/2099062064912470384?s=20

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