The Pakistan Air Force released footage of the “Indus Shield-2023” exercise. In the exercise scenario, the J-10CE fighter provided cover for the JF-17C “Thunder 3” fighter as they suppressed India’s S-400 anti-aircraft missile system, using high-speed air-to-ground missiles sourced from China. This scenario indicates that Chinese-made equipment is becoming the backbone of the Pakistan Air Force and a potent means to counter India.
During the exercise, the J-10CE fighter acted as a cover, while the JF-17C fighter took the lead, launching the CM-400 AKG high-speed air-to-ground missile to suppress the S-400 air defense system. The DA-20 electronic warfare aircraft nearby carried out electronic jamming, suppressing the radar and communications of the S-400 system. Although the DA-20 electronic warfare aircraft is based on the Falcon 20 business jet from France’s Dassault, its onboard jamming system is the Chinese-made JN-1101F communication countermeasure system.
In this exercise, the Pakistan Air Force suppressed the Indian S-400 using a combination of Chinese equipment. This not only represents Pakistan’s trust in Chinese-made equipment but also shows that the equipment China exports to Pakistan can be systematically applied with impressive results.
The biggest threats from the Pakistan Air Force to the Indian Air Force are two types of weapons: the recently equipped 36 Rafale F3R fighters and the three battalions of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system they are receiving. The Rafale F3R fighter is a standard 4.5-generation fighter equipped with the RBE2 active phased array radar and Meteor medium-to-long-range air-to-air missiles. It can outperform all variants of the F-16 fighters in the Pakistan Air Force. The S-400 air defense system is Russia’s fourth-generation anti-aircraft missile system that can launch five to six types of missiles, among which the 40N6E missile has a range of almost 400 kilometers, allowing it to achieve air-to-ground capabilities.
The Pakistan Air Force has introduced the J-10CE fighter from China, which is also equipped with an onboard active phased-array radar and PL-15 medium-to-long-range air-to-air missiles, making it capable of countering the Rafale F3R fighter. The next challenge is how to suppress the S-400 air defense system; otherwise, the operational capability of the Pakistan Air Force along the India-Pakistan border will be greatly restricted. Due to the long intercept range of the S-400 air defense system and its strong anti-jamming capability, general anti-radiation missiles cannot effectively suppress it.
For instance, the MAR-1 anti-radiation missile used by the Pakistan Air Force, and the LD-10 anti-radiation missile intended for export by China, both have ranges of just over 100 kilometers, making them ineffective against the S-400 system. However, to suppress an air defense system, you don’t necessarily need specialized anti-radiation missiles. As long as you can pinpoint the position of the enemy’s air defense, many precision-guided weapons can perform suppression tasks.
The choice of the Pakistan Air Force is also a Chinese product, namely the CM-400AKG supersonic air-to-ground missile, which is exported with the “Thunder” series of fighters. The CM-400 AKG air-launched missile has a maximum range of over 240 kilometers. After being launched, it maneuvers within the atmosphere and has strong defense penetration capabilities. In essence, the CM-400 AKG is more like a small air-launched ballistic missile. It uses a rocket engine to accelerate and climb, and then utilizes its speed of Mach 4 for a ballistic-style penetration strike.
The CM-400 AKG uses an inertial guidance + satellite navigation positioning combined guidance system. In the final phase, it can be equipped with a passive radar guidance system, allowing it to strike high-value ground and sea targets. Due to its passive radar guidance system, with improvements, it can attack the radar system of the S-400 air defense system, achieving the purpose of suppressing and destroying the S-400 system.
Due to the long range of the S-400 air defense system, pinpointing its radar from hundreds of kilometers away becomes a key part of the entire strike system. Only by precisely locating the radar of the S-400 air defense system can target indicators be provided for anti-radiation missiles and electronic jamming systems, allowing missiles and electronic jamming to accurately attack targets. Although the JF-17C is equipped with a Radar Warning Receiver (RWR), the accuracy of the RWR is limited, making it difficult to precisely locate the radar of the S-400 air defense system from hundreds of kilometers away.
It is likely that the Pakistan Air Force has equipped the DA-20 electronic warfare aircraft with a more advanced electronic support reconnaissance system, using the short baseline method to determine the location of ground radars. The so-called short baseline method uses two or more receivers to simultaneously receive wireless signals from the same source. By measuring the difference in signal propagation time, the location of the receiver can be determined. After the DA-20 determines the location of the radar of the S-400 air defense system, it uses a data link to transmit the target information to the JF-17C fighter, which then launches the CM-400AKG missile for suppression and attack.
The future air defense suppression combat mode of the Pakistan Air Force starts with the J-10CE fighter responsible for aerial cover, ensuring air superiority and creating favorable conditions for the JF-17C and DA-20 electronic warfare aircraft to enter the battlefield. The DA-20 electronic warfare aircraft uses electronic interference to detect, locate, and jam the radar of the S-400 air defense system, and its communication jamming system suppresses its data link. The JF-17C fighter launches the CM-400AKG air-launched ballistic missile for an attack. To ensure its safety, the JF-17C uses a low-altitude launch. After the missile is launched, it climbs to maximize its range. In addition, the ZDK-03 early warning aircraft exported by China is responsible for command guidance and unified command of its own air forces in the theater.
The Chinese-style combination punch showcased by the Pakistan Air Force is considered a mature air defense suppression tactic, otherwise, it would not have been publicly demonstrated in the “Indus Shield-2023” exercise. A total of 14 national armies participated in this exercise, and the People’s Liberation Army also sent observers. Pakistan is clearly confident in its tactics to suppress the S-400, and this confidence is based on the Chinese-made weapons and equipment mentioned earlier.
With our assistance, the Pakistan Air Force can now counter its most severe threats. Chinese-exported combat aircraft and missiles have become the backbone and pillar of the Pakistan Air Force. Previously, the primary U.S.-made fighters were quickly becoming secondary.
Pakistan’s tactics also indicate that the People’s Liberation Army has the ability to suppress the S-400 air defense system, but of course, the PLA doesn’t need to go to the same lengths as Pakistan. The PLA Air Force’s J-20 stealth fighters, stealth unmanned combat aircraft, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles can strike India’s S-400 air defense system in multiple ways, making the combat mode much simpler.
Source: Wang Yanan
