Here’s why Pakistan was unable to stop the missiles launched by India—a mix of technical, tactical, and strategic limitations. 1. Limitations of Air-Defense Against Air-to-Ground Missiles According to former Pakistan Air Force officials, while their air-defense architecture is capable of interceptinاقرأ المزيد
Here’s why Pakistan was unable to stop the missiles launched by India—a mix of technical, tactical, and strategic limitations.
1. Limitations of Air-Defense Against Air-to-Ground Missiles
- According to former Pakistan Air Force officials, while their air-defense architecture is capable of intercepting ground‑launched cruise and ballistic missiles, it lacks systems designed specifically for air-to-ground missile threats, especially fast-moving ones (Fukatsoft).
- These missiles, fired from aircraft, travel at hypersonic speeds (Mach 3–9)—reducing detection and response time drastically. Even global powers like the U.S., Russia, and China face challenges intercepting such fast weapons (Fukatsoft).
2. Electronic Warfare and Radar Disruption
- Analysis of Operation Sindoor indicates that India employed advanced electronic warfare tactics—including decoys and radar jamming—which effectively blinded Pakistan’s HQ-9 and LY-80 defense systems. This rendered them unable to detect or counter incoming missiles in time (OpIndia).
3. Structural and Geographical Constraints
- The shared, densely populated border—just a few meters wide in places—limits reaction time. Experts note that intercepting missiles before they enter Pakistani airspace in such proximity is practically impossible, regardless of system sophistication (Fukatsoft).
- It would require enormous financial investment to sufficiently blanket the 2,500 km-long eastern frontier with effective air-defense coverage—and even then, interceptions wouldn’t be guaranteed (Fukatsoft).
4. Holes in Defense Strategy and Equipment Reliability
- During Operation Sindoor—a series of surprise strikes—No Pakistani missile was intercepted; the air-defense grid remained unresponsive even as strikes hit intended targets (Business Today, OpIndia).
- The destruction of Pakistan’s AWACS platform further exposed surveillance gaps, undermining real-time detection and response (The Economic Times).
- Observers also highlight system vulnerabilities in Chinese-supplied air defense hardware, questioning their combat reliability under pressure (The Economic Times, Financial Times).
🧭 Bottom Line
Factor | Impact on Intercepting Capability |
---|---|
Absence of air-to-ground intercept systems | No tailored defense for missiles launched from aircraft |
Speed and altitude of missiles | Extremely short reaction window due to hypersonic travel |
Electronic warfare disruption | Jamming and decoys neutralized radar-based detection |
Geographic proximity | Limited space for timely interception along the border |
Equipment and strategic gaps | AWACS loss and Chinese system limitations accentuated vulnerability |
Pakistan’s inability to stop the strikes reflects a combination of technical limitations, strategic design gaps, and tactical surprise, rather than isolated equipment failure.
Let me know if you’d like a deeper dive into radar systems, EW tactics, or defense upgrades underway.
قراءة أقل
During the recent 12-day war, Iran targeted five Israeli military bases. Reports, citing radar and satellite data reviewed by researchers at Oregon State University, indicate that six Iranian missiles struck these five sites across northern, central, and southern Israel. The targeted locations reporاقرأ المزيد
During the recent 12-day war, Iran targeted five Israeli military bases.
قراءة أقلReports, citing radar and satellite data reviewed by researchers at Oregon State University, indicate that six Iranian missiles struck these five sites across northern, central, and southern Israel. The targeted locations reportedly included:
* Camp Zipporit base (near Nazareth)
* Camp Glilot (intelligence base)
* Tel Nof airbase
* An intelligence collection center
* A major logistics facility
It’s important to note that Israeli authorities did not disclose these strikes at the time due to strict military censorship laws.