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Last Updated:May 13, 2025, 11:32 IST
China's refusal to share cutting-edge technology, such as J-20 stealth fighters, has left Pakistan with outdated systems and pilots struggling with real-world combat scenarios
Operation Sindoor: photos captured by Maxar Technologies showed visuals of destruction of two terror infrastructures in Bahawalpur and Muridke in Punjab province of Pakistan (Photos: Maxar Technologies/Reuters)
India’s Operation Sindoor and Pakistan’s futile attempts to escalate tensions by using drones and missiles against India have once again exposed the critical vulnerabilities in Pakistan’s defence infrastructure which has become dependent on Chinese military hardware.
Though cheap, the arms and air-defence systems supplied by China are often downgraded compared to those it uses domestically.
A glaring issue is the ineffectiveness of Chinese air defence systems against stealth and precision attacks. The HQ-9B, marketed as a Patriot equivalent, and the HQ-16, failed to intercept Indian SCALP stealth cruise missiles and HAMMER glide bombs. These systems struggle with detecting low-altitude, terrain-hugging threats due to limited detection ranges and susceptibility to jamming.
Pakistan’s air defence also lacks redundancy and layered coordination, which Indian SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) tactics exploited by targeting radar nodes, crippling the entire network. Additionally, Pakistan’s fighter jets, reliant on pre-programmed flight paths, are outmatched by Indian technology, making them predictable targets.
A significant 81 per cent of Pakistan’s arms imports come from China, creating a dependency without diversification. China’s refusal to share cutting-edge technology, such as the J-20 stealth fighters, has left Pakistan with outdated systems, while India’s mix of Russian, Western, and homegrown technology has reduced its dependency risks and enhanced adaptability.
Sources indicate that Chinese systems sold to Pakistan are downgraded. For instance, the HQ-9P has a 125 km range compared to China’s domestic HQ-9B, which has a range of 250-300 km. A Pakistani LY-80 radar system in Gujranwala was destroyed by Indian Harop loitering munitions due to poor mobility and counter-drone capabilities.
The JF-17’s KLJ-7A AESA radar has a smaller aperture than India’s Rafale’s RBE2-AA radar, reducing detection range and tracking accuracy. Limited fuel capacity restricts operational range, forcing reliance on vulnerable mid-air refueling. Exported PL-15E missiles have a reduced range (145 km) compared to China’s domestic PL-15 (200-300 km), allowing India’s Rafales with Meteor missiles (200 km) to outrange them.
Chinese Wing Loong II and CH-4 drones were easily intercepted by India’s Akash SAMs and SMASH-2000 counter-drone systems due to poor maneuverability and lack of stealth features. To add to woes, Pakistan’s limited defence budget ($10.2 billion vs. India’s $86 billion) has led to maintenance shortfalls. Defective Wing Loong drones reportedly crashed during missions, and the lack of specialised technicians in Pakistan caused downtime during critical operations.
Pakistani pilots, trained on simulators, struggled with real-world combat scenarios, unlike India’s Rafale pilots who trained in France. The operational inflexibility and integration flaws of Chinese arms exports to Pakistan, despite their cost-effectiveness, falter against India’s technologically superior, diversified, and well-integrated defence architecture.
Location :Islamabad, Pakistan
First Published:News world India’s Operation Sindoor Reduces Pakistan To Junkyard Of Chinese Weapons | Exclusive
