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n the age of hypersonic missiles and drone swarms, traditional air defenc systems are being pushed to their limits, forcing militaries to rethink strategies and adopt next generation technologies. As modern warfare grows faster and more complex, defence experts are asking: can current systems keep up with the emerging threats? With hypersonic missiles evading detection and swarms overwhelming defences, innovation is no longer optional—it’s essential. In this shifting battlefield, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) must evolve beyond surveillance roles and be ready to fight like manned aircraft—capable of high intensity combat and shaping the outcome of future conflicts.
Effective use of drones by Ukraine, Russia and Azerbaijan has highlighted their importance in modern warfare, where cost-effectiveness and adaptability are crucial for staying ahead of emerging threats in the air, land and sea. They have become indispensable for both Ukrainian defensive and offensive operations. AI powered drones, like the DJI Matrice 300, have been successful in the Ukrainian conflict.
Pakistan has deployed several UAVs for use by the army, navy and air force. The Burraq and Shahpar-II drones are used for surveillance; the TB-2 drones come with strike capabilities. Pakistan Air Force also has the Turkish platform TB3, which is equipped with advanced sensors and autonomous capabilities. This is expected to strengthen Pakistan’s capabilities in electronic warfare, precision strikes, electronic intelligence (el-int), intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and air-to-air combat against drones and helicopters, providing a strategic advantage in monitoring and responding to threats.
Air Marshal Arshad Aziz Malik (retired) says, “In future battles, UAVs must be prepared to fight like manned aircraft—capable of high-intensity combat and shaping the battlefield.” This requires full integration into command and control systems, secure data links and AI-driven coordination across air, land, sea and space. “With clear deployment strategies and targeting doctrines, future drones must be able to switch missions mid-flight, operate autonomously and serve as mission-critical assets in modern warfare, just as manned aircraft have been for decades.”
As UAVs become central to modern warfare, so too do the threats they must deal with. New threats like cheap drones, unmanned aircraft and hypersonic missiles have exposed significant weaknesses in modern air defence systems.
Capable of travelling at speeds exceeding Mach 5, hypersonic missiles pose another challenge to traditional air defence systems. The Russian S-400 air defence is considered one of the most capable systems in the world. However, five of those have been destroyed in combat, including one by the PAF (using a hypersonic missile at the Adampur base in India). “The use of hypersonic weapons, like the CM-400AKG missile launched from the JF-17 during the May conflict, demonstrates Pakistan’s efforts to develop precision strike capabilities,” says Air Marshal Malik.
Pakistan has several Chinese-made air defence systems, including the HQ-9, LY-80 and FD-2000. These are part of its layered defence strategy. Howev, the strategy needs to be further strengthened against emerging threats. To this end, Pakistan may acquire Russian systems like the S-400, S-500 or the Chinese HQ-19, he says. These systems are claimed to be capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. They are also said to have anti-stealth capabilities and can track low-flying aircraft.
Conventional air defence systems, designed for large manned aircraft, struggle to detect and counter small, agile drones flying low or in coordinated swarms. Also, using a $3 million missile interceptor to shoot down a $500 drone isn’t a sustainable strategy. Drone swarms represent a major shift in military strategy. In January 2025, Sweden’s Saab unveiled a drone-swarming programme allowing soldiers to control up to 100 drones at once. Through synchronised operations across air, land and sea, swarms can overwhelm defences, penetrate adversary networks and execute missions with a combination of stealth and brute force.
Examples of swarm drone systems include the US Perdix system and China’s Jiu Tian mothership drone that can deploy smaller swarms at high speeds. Turkey has built the Kargu-2 drone, capable of operating in a swarm of up to 20 drones.
Air defence systems rely on a network of sensors—radars, optical systems and infrared—for tracking and engagement. However, these sensors have blind spots and limitations. Radars can be detected as they emit signals, making them easy for enemies to locate and attack. That’s why some militaries are now using passive sensors, like infrared systems that don’t reveal their position. Exploiting that vulnerability, India and Pakistan sent dozens of drones into each other’s territory, rattling people and probing air defence assets for potential future attacks.
However, radar technology is also evolving. Air Marshal Malik says, “A Czech passive radar, VERA, can silently detect and follow air, ground and sea targets without giving away its position. This makes it ideal for long-range monitoring without alerting nearby enemies. It also helps gather electronic intelligence for analysis and planning.”
Pakistan also employs the DWL-002, a passive detection system for locating airborne, shipborne or land-based emitters, particularly in complex electromagnetic environments. The system has a minimal electromagnetic footprint, making it more difficult for enemies to detect or target it.
While drones dominate the skies with their precision and power, they are no longer indestructible, as has been demonstrated in recent aerial engagements between India and Pakistan, the Iran-Israel conflict and Russia’s effective countermeasures against Ukraine’s drones. To deal with drones at close range, many countries are turning to close-in weapon systems (CIWS)—fast-firing guns that can shoot down threats up to a few kilometers away. These systems have proved their role in neutralising drone swarms and small UAVs.
Air Marshal Malik says the PAF is also improving its short-range and point-defence coverage. It is upgrading the Spada 2000-Plus into the Spada-CIWS. “The Spada-CIWS will likely pair the existing Spada 2000-Plus system with an Oerlikon-GDF 35 mm AAG. In addition, the PAF is looking at replacing the sensors with homegrown solutions.” Some other nations too are upgrading their gun-based systems. Turkey’s Gökdeniz, a naval CIWS with twin 35 mm cannons and airburst rounds, is built to deal with skies full of drones. The US C-RAM and Phalanx systems, based on Gatling guns, have also been adapted to protect military bases from incoming UAVs. China’s Anti-Drone Swarm and Anti-Missile Barrage Systems use 16 synchronised guns to create a “wall of projectiles,” effectively countering swarms and saturation attacks with proven mobility and field success. “Laser weapons are also entering the fight. Systems like Israel’s Iron Beam and the US’s HELWS are being tested to shoot down drones using high-energy lasers. These lasers are cheap to fire, not constrained by ammo inventory and ideal for stopping mass drone attacks,” says Air Marshal Malik. China now has a high-power microwave weapon, Hurricane 300, that can disable drone electronics in a 3,000-metre radius, allowing it to engage multiple targets simultaneously.
Since no single system guarantees absolute security from drones and hypersonic missiles, many countries are trying to piece together a full, layered air defence system that can handle drones, jets and missiles. No country has completed this job. Israel combines Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Iron Beam to cover a wide range of threats. The US uses Patriot, NASAMS and C-RAM and is testing new laser weapons. Russia has Pantsir and S-400 systems but those have struggled against drone attacks. Turkey and Germany are developing smart systems like Gökdeniz and Skynex that offer better close-range protection.
Electoronic warfare
Future conflicts will likely involve a blend of traditional warfare, cyberattacks and advanced technologies.
Military cyber units are tasked with detecting and neutralising cyber espionage efforts, blocking intrusion attempts from hostile states or non-state actors and protecting against cyber-enabled sabotage of defence systems. In addition to defensive measures, they play a proactive role through cyber intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance—gathering intelligence through cyber channels to support strategic and tactical operations. Furthermore, they disrupt or degrade enemy communications, air defence networks, logistics platforms and critical infrastructure.
Air Marshal Malik says, “Electronic warfare (EW) employs the electromagnetic spectrum to deceive or disable enemy systems. Electronic countermeasures involve jamming or signal manipulation to disrupt, deceive or disable enemy radars and communications. Russia famously deployed electronic warfare systems to jam Ukrainian signals and radar. Azerbaijan disrupted Armenian communication networks.”
“Electronic counter-countermeasures are defensive methods designed to protect friendly systems, ensuring continued operation despite hostile interference.” Frequency-hopping combined with electronic warfare techniques confuses enemy radar systems. By rapidly changing frequencies and using deceptive signals, an attacker makes it harder for radar to lock onto true targets, potentially causing false tracks or clutter on displays.
Satellites now wield EW, like Russia’s reported GPS spoofing in Ukraine, as a force multiplier. Air Marshal Malik says, “Satellites can disrupt enemy operations by jamming communications and GPS signals. Spoofing deceives hostile systems with false data.”
Unlike kinetic weapons, EW satellites offer plausible deniability—a key advantage in gray-zone conflicts. They also intercept signals for intelligence and boost ISR missions by detecting electronic emissions. Space-based sensors also track missiles, even hypersonic missile launches, and provide targeting data to ground-based interceptors.
Pakistan operates a modest but diverse fleet of at least eight satellites in orbit. Its capabilities in space technology are bound to grow. The country’s primary communication satellite, PAKSAT-1R, provides extensive coverage across South Asia, Southeast Asia and parts of Europe. The newly launched PAKSATMM1 has enhanced multi-mission communication services. In the realm of Earth observation, PRSS-1 is providing high-resolution imagery for strategic surveillance and situational awareness. Its optical payload can spot troop movement, vehicles or small structures, enhancing military reconnaissance, border monitoring, disaster assessment and resource management.
Additionally, PakTES-1A, an indigenously developed by SUPARCO, contributes to technological research and development. Pakistan’s early space endeavours—experimental satellites Badr-1 and Badr-B—laid the foundation for the nation’s space programme.
While space-based EW capabilities provide the high ground, Pakistan’s regional deterrence still hinges on dominating the aerial battlespace. This demands next-generation airborne early warning. This is where China’s KJ-500 AEW&C can be a game-changing asset in network-centric warfare with better coordination and improved battle management.
Compared to Saab Erieye—with a 450 km detection range—the KJ-500 has far greater capabilities. It features a fixed AESA radar on a Y-9 platform with up to 5,700 km detection range, 360-degree coverage, multi-target tracking, missile guidance and integrated kill-chain coordination.
Pakistan’s mix of TB3 drones, KJ-500 surveillance and hypersonic strikes are the evolving layers of deterrence.
As swarms, stealth, and hypersonic threats redefine modern warfare, the question is no longer whether traditional systems can keep up—but how quickly new ones can evolve. The future belongs to forces that combine layered air defence, cyber and space dominance and AI-supported decision-making. Central to this transformation is the UAV that must be integrated into command and control networks and targeting doctrines to shape outcomes on tomorrow’s battlefield.
The writer is a senior The News staffer in Karachi