1) Can Ballistic missiles track, maneuver and hit moving ships? How accurate is it? More importantly, will China give PK that technology?
2) When an IN Air Craft Carrier is sent towards Pakistan, it won't be alone, it will part of a Battle group, with dedicated destroyers having ABM capabilities like Barak etc. How many Ballistic Missiles are you going to fire, to over whelm an ABM?
3) Which has a higher probability of getting through: 40 aircrafts launching 80 Supersonic Anti-Ship Missiles, or 80
Ballistic missiles?
4) The problem with a single engine aircraft over water is, IF you loose that single engine, you not only loose a multi-million dollar aircraft, but possibly the pilot as well, whose loss cannot be counted in monetary terms.
To answer your question, lets go back to the start.
So PAF spends a few billion of $$$ and acquires two long range strike aircraft squadrons for deep strikes inside Indian territory.
Now if the target lies a few hundred km in the east on land, flying through IAF AWACs, SU30, Mig29, SAM's and firing at that target by these long range strike aircraft will incur huge losses, which makes the acquisition of these aircrafts useless.
Suppose at some stage in the war, these aircraft need a to strike a target behind or in vicinity of IN aircraft carrier.
If these aircraft fly eastwards over land and then southwards towards the target, they will be detected by IAF AWAC's and engaged by everything IAF has in the form of SU30, Mig29, SAM etc.
They fly southwards and then turn east, IN carrier and other naval vessels will engage them.
so how do you strike targets hundreds of km inside Indian land territory? ALCM,CM or last resort BM.
JH-7 is a long range strike aircraft. It might have a great combat radius but sending it on a long range mission inside enemy territory is losing the aircraft and pilot. Leave that to CM and BM.
SU35, J-11 have good A2A capabilities, but defending own airspace can also be done by JF-17 and F-16. For long range strike mission, SU35, J-11 suffer the same consequences as JH-7.
The fact is that these long strike aircraft dont stand much chance when in any scenario of strike inside Indian territory.
Now coming to tackling an aircraft carrier.
I have told that sending long range aircrafts in the vicinity of IN carrier to strike inside India isnt a good idea.
your querry is : 40 aircrafts launching 80 Supersonic Anti-Ship Missiles, or 80 Ballistic missiles?
Firstly, Losing 60-70% or more of that aircraft strike package is more acceptable or deterring, damaging IN carrier group from coming close to pakistani seas by firing BM is more acceptable?
Some of these 40 aircrafts can be engaged by Mig-29's and destroyed before they even fire the anti-ship missile. so the number of anti-ship missiles fired at the IN carrier will be greatly reduced.
Secondly, so PAF got two squadrons of long range aircrafts, say 40.Engaged all of them in striking IN carrier. Returned with 14-18 aircraft. Not a good scenario. so PAF got these 40 aircrafts only for engaging, damaging or sinking an IN carrier?doesnt make sense. Now reduced to one squadron size only, their usage will be limited.
Thirdly, the loss of pilots trained on these aircrafts after IN carrier strike will badly hit PAF. The biggest lot of trained pilots in PAF are mirage iii/v and F-16 pilots, next will be JF-17 pilots. Usually pilots trained on F-16's are already trained on mirage or or F-7 or both.
So the pilots trained on say JH-7, SU35 etc will already be a small compliment. It will be further shortened after loss of aircraft in IN carrier strike.
The fact is that these long strike aircraft dont stand much chance when in any scenario involving IN carrier.
Your Querry: When an IN Air Craft Carrier is sent towards Pakistan, it won't be alone, it will part of a Battle group, with dedicated destroyers having ABM capabilities like Barak etc. How many Ballistic Missiles are you going to fire, to over whelm an ABM?
Raining BM's on IN carrier will not incur loss of life or material for Pakistan. Infact after the first salvo is fired, detected and tracked, IN carrier maybe forced to change course or return. Pakistan is increasing its arsenal of missiles faster than its acquiring aircrafts.
Your Querry: Can Ballistic missiles track, maneuver and hit moving ships? How accurate is it? More importantly, will China give PK that technology?
DF-21 series has not hit any moving target although its emergence is to strike a naval ship at a long range so the tech is getting there. Chinese have spent millions of $$$ in this tech and if China's answer to engaging a US aircraft carrier is with Df-21 series, i would go with that where time and money has been practically spent, rather than any out of thin air idea by members here.
Chinese usually give tech requested by Pakistan.
In any scenario, if IN aircraft carrier starts coming threatening close to or inside Pakistani seas, the long range factor starts to diminish. Every second it inches closer towards Pakistan, gives any PAF aircraft advantage in range to engage it. If PAF has to engage it, it has hundreds of aircrafts to do so.
In any case, my vote is for J-31