The systems shown in an official PAF presentation released for Pakistan’s Defence Day on September 6 include China’s CASIC HQ-17AE surface-to-air missile system and NORINCO LD-76, alongside Türkiye’s ASELSAN KORKUT 35mm air-defence gun and ŞAHİN 40mm counter-drone system. Procurement quantities, contract values, deployment locations and delivery schedules have not been disclosed.
Their appearance indicates that the PAF is adding a denser final layer to its existing air-defence network, aimed principally at intercepting drones, loitering munitions, low-flying aircraft and precision-guided weapons that penetrate longer-range defences. The combination of missiles and rapid-fire guns is intended to provide successive engagement opportunities close to air bases and other high-value sites.
The HQ-17AE, the export version of China’s mobile HQ-17A, is mounted on a wheeled 6×6 chassis and carries eight vertically launched missiles together with its own search and engagement radars. Manufacturer specifications give it a maximum engagement range of about 15 kilometres against conventional aircraft, with shorter envelopes against missiles and low-observable targets. The system can engage several targets simultaneously and operate while accompanying mobile formations.
KORKUT provides an inner gun-based layer. Developed by ASELSAN, the self-propelled system uses twin 35mm cannon, radar and electro-optical sensors and can fire programmable airburst ammunition. It is designed for low-altitude threats including unmanned aircraft and cruise missiles, giving defenders a less costly option than surface-to-air missiles against some targets.
The ŞAHİN system adds another close-range counter-drone capability using a 40mm automatic grenade launcher and programmable ammunition. Together, the newly displayed equipment suggests an emphasis on defending individual installations against saturation attacks involving multiple inexpensive drones as well as more demanding precision weapons.
The disclosure follows the four-day India-Pakistan military confrontation in May 2025, when the Indian Air Force carried out precision strikes against targets deep inside Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. India’s government said its forces struck military facilities including Nur Khan and Rahim Yar Khan air bases after Pakistan attempted attacks on military and civilian targets on India’s side.
New Delhi said its aircraft bypassed or jammed Chinese-origin air-defence systems and that radars and other military assets were hit. Pakistan contested several of India’s claims about the scale and effect of the strikes, while making competing claims about losses inflicted on India. Not all battlefield assertions from either side were independently verifiable.
The confrontation nevertheless demonstrated the challenge posed by stand-off weapons, drones and electronic warfare to fixed military infrastructure. Satellite imagery after the fighting showed damage at several Pakistani military sites, sharpening attention on the survivability of air bases and the ability of ground-based defences to intercept low-flying precision weapons.
Pakistan already operates longer-range Chinese-origin surface-to-air systems, while its air-defence inventory also includes older European systems. The newly revealed equipment does not by itself substantially extend the outer reach of that network. Its role is instead to increase the number of defensive layers available as an incoming weapon approaches its target.
The HQ-17AE is particularly suited to that point-defence role because its radar, fire-control equipment and missiles are carried on the same vehicle. Publicly available manufacturer data indicate an engagement envelope down to very low altitudes, an important requirement against cruise missiles and unmanned systems designed to exploit radar horizons.
KORKUT’s programmable ammunition is designed to detonate near an aerial target and disperse fragments, improving the chances of hitting small drones that can be difficult targets for conventional anti-aircraft shells. ŞAHİN is intended for even closer engagements against unmanned aircraft, adding a final kinetic layer where using an expensive guided missile may be impractical.
