"Pakistan previously showed interest in Russia’s S-300 SAM system, but analyst and former Australian defense attache to Islamabad Brian Cloughley says
Russo-Indian defense relations may prevent such a sale.
“As the Indians are getting the S-400, I doubt that Russia would provide Pakistan with any SAM system,
Rather, Pakistan might reconsider another former interest — China’s HQ-9. Though certainly more affordable, it’s debatable whether any HQ-9 variant available to Pakistan is as capable as the latest version of the S-300.
However, citing the “close nature of the defense relationship between Pakistan and China,” aerospace expert Douglas Barrie, with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, believes sourcing a Chinese system “has considerable attraction, not least of all in potentially being able to plug into any future developments China might have.”
But an HQ-9 acquisition may demand organizational changes.
Tufail noted that although the Pakistan Air Force is “responsible for the overall command and control of air defense and operates all early warning airborne [systems] and radars” as well as airfield defenses, the Army operates SAM systems that defend “countrywide vulnerable areas/points as well as over the battlefield.” However, long-range SAM systems would need to be under Air Force control, Tufail added, as the service has “a far greater visibility of the air defense ground environment and can not only manage such a system better, but can prevent fratricide in a [beyond-visual-range] shooting scenario."
While the acquisition of a long-range SAM system remains possible"
