The increasing use of drones and UAV weapons has made air defense more challenging for armies around the world.
In such a situation, the question has become important that how to prevent large-scale attacks by low-cost, small drones?
Now Pakistan Air Force is taking the help of China and Turkey to strengthen its short-range air defense (Short-Range Air Defense System i.e. SHORAD).
These include missiles, automatic cannons and anti-drone technology.
Three different air defense systems are shown in the video released by the Pakistani Air Force on September 7. These are -
HQ-17AE short-range surface-to-air missile system made in China
Turkey's Aselsan Korkut 35 mm Automatic Air Defense Gun System
- And Türkiye's own Aselsan Sahin 40 mm counter-drone system
All these systems together form an integrated defense shield. Its purpose is to protect critical military installations from various aerial threats including drones, UAV weapons, helicopters, cruise missiles and low-flying aircraft.
The basic concept of three-tier short-range air defense is to use different defense systems at different ranges instead of relying on a single weapon to deal with an incoming threat.
This provides multiple opportunities to detect, pursue and destroy the air target before it reaches its target location.
According to Pakistani defense analyst Farooq Chaudhry, open source information suggests that the Pakistani Air Force has adopted a strategy of combining multiple layers of artillery-based defense with the Chinese-made HQ-17AE missile system to counter drones and other low-level aerial threats.
According to him, this defensive structure used against drones includes three different layers of cannon-based defense.
The Sahin 40 mm can be used against small drones at short ranges up to about 700 meters.
The effective range of the Korkut 35 mm is approximately four kilometers.
Based on the 76 mm LD-76 artillery system, the defense system can provide an additional outer layer with a strike range of approximately 10 kilometres.
However, according to Farooq, the LD-76 was not officially shown in the video released by the Pakistani Air Force. He said that a few weeks ago a picture of the official insignia of the Air Force had surfaced, on which the LD-76 was also visible along with the flags of Pakistan and China.
Based on this he believes that this system can be ordered in the future.
According to him, these cannon-based systems are supported by a short-range air defense system based on the Chinese-made HQ-17AE missile.
The system is effective against drones up to a range of about 15 kilometers and can also be used against various air weapons that cannot be intercepted by artillery.
The outer protective layer is similar to that of the HQ-17AE. It is a short-range surface-to-air missile system manufactured in China.
It is designed for use against aircraft, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles and other aerial targets. Its dynamic nature allows it to be deployed at different locations.
In this defensive structure, the HQ-17AE serves as the first line of defense for secure military installations by engaging air threats at relatively long ranges.
The second layer of defense is the Korkut 35 mm Automatic Air Defense Gun System manufactured by Turkish company Aselsan.
Mounted on a tracked platform, this system includes two 35 mm automatic cannons.
Korkut uses a programmable aerial explosive munition, which explodes in the air creating a cloud of fragments. It can target drones, hovercraft and other low-flying targets.
This system is considered particularly effective against large-scale drone attacks.
This is a better option than using expensive missiles against low-cost air threats.
The innermost defensive layer includes a 40 mm counter-drone system.
It is specifically designed to counter small and ultra-small unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Sahin system is equipped with radar, electro-optical sensors and an automatic fire control system. It uses 40 mm airburst grenades, which explode in the air when they reach the target.
Acting as the last line of defense around critical sites, the system is designed to eliminate small air threats that evade the first two layers of defense.
According to defense analyst Farooq Chaudhry, the Pakistani Air Force's focus until 2025 has traditionally been on its fighter jets and aerial capabilities for air defence.
According to him, due to the threat posed by drones and other aerial weapons, the Air Force has now had to change its strategy and is investing heavily in ground air defence.
He said the three Very Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) systems recently demonstrated by the Pakistani Air Force are part of a broader strategy.
Under this strategy, Pakistan Air Force is giving priority to include short-range air defense systems for use against drones.
According to Farooq Chaudhary, it is also noteworthy that the Pakistani Air Force included these systems in its defense structure within a year after May 2025.
According to Pakistani defense analysts, these changes are taking place due to the lessons learned from Pakistan's recent conflicts against India and Afghanistan.
The increasing use of drones and UAV weapons in these conflicts has exposed the shortcomings of conventional air defense systems and created new challenges for them.
Now armies around the world are moving towards adopting multiple levels of air defense systems. These systems can effectively counter different types of aerial threats.
Instead of using expensive missiles against every incoming drone or air threat, layered defense systems combine missiles, air defense guns, and anti-drone systems.
This strategy allows the selection of missiles, automatic cannons or anti-drone systems depending on the nature, distance and size of the threat. This helps in more effective use of defense resources.
According to Farooq Chaudhry, the Pakistani Air Force wants to create an 'integrated base defense system' by combining Turkish-made artillery technology with Chinese missile systems. It calls it CIWS (Close-in Weapon System).
According to him, from this perspective, the Pakistani Air Force wants to acquire the capability to counter different types of air weapons, ranging from drones to low-altitude cruise missiles and long-range bombs.
This cooperation is also a proof of Pakistan's growing defense relations with China and Türkiye.
These systems are primarily designed to deal with short-range and low-altitude air threats, so they cannot be considered a complete air defense option for Pakistan.
