Pakistan, Troubled By Thoughts Of A Deterrent For BrahMos, Looks Beyond China

Ever since India's precision strikes first destroyed its terror infrastructure and later its air bases and military installations during Operation Sindoor, one question has kept Pakistan worried and puzzled at the same time - How to defend itself against India's BrahMos missile?

Though India has not officially stated the use of the BrahMos during Op Sindoor, Pakistan's prime minister Shehbaz Sharif had publicly admitted to its airbases being hit by the supersonic cruise missile.

LOOKING BEYOND CHINA

Disappointed with the Chinese air defence systems - HQ-9 and HQ-16 - which failed to stop India's drone and missile strikes, and was totally ineffective against the BrahMos, as claimed by Pakistan itself, Islamabad is now looking beyond China to find a worthwhile solution.

Pakistan is reportedly exploring a possibility of acquiring a German-made advanced air defence system which has proven to be effective in Ukraine against a Russian cruise missile similar to that of the Brahmos.

GERMAN ENGINEERING

Last month Ukraine claimed that the recently-inducted German air defence system - IRIS-T SLM - had successfully shot down 60 incoming missiles over the last one year. Developed by Germany's Diehl Defence, the air defence system performed well against the Russian P-800 Oniks missile, considered somewhat similar to India's BrahMos.

IRIS-T SLM, which stands for Infrared Imaging System - Tail/Thrust Vector Controlled - Surface-Launched Missile, is a medium-range air defence system. First developed in 1990, the system has been upgraded several times. It includes a radar, an operation centre, and multiple launchers.

According to news agency Reuters, in 2023, Germany purchased six IRIS-T air defence systems for its air force at a total cost of some 900 million euros ($971.73 million). It has a range of approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) and a 360 degree view.

INDO-GERMAN DEFENCE TIES

According to a report in the Economic Times, Pakistan's plans skip Chinese air defence systems and instead purchase them from Germany, comes at a time when the company that manufactures the IRIS-T - Diehl Defence - has partnered with Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, that is engaged in defence projects in India. Together, Diehl and Thyssenkrupp are working to supply Interactive Defence and Attack Systems or IDAS for six Indian Navy submarines being made in India under the Rs. 70,000 crore Project 75I.

Moreover, as per the Economic Times, India's Reliance Defence, a subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure, has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Diehl Defence. Together they will manufacture the precision-guided munition system Vulcano 155mm - and advanced, long-range artillery shell, in India.

This might make it difficult for Pakistan to deal with the German firm.

MISPLACED PRIORITIES?

Despite its economy tanking and nearly 45 per cent of its citizens now below the poverty line and 16 per cent living in extreme poverty, Pakistan, in its annual budget today upped its defence spending significantly while lowering spending on nearly everything else. However, in the last month alone, cash-strapped Pakistan has managed to secure a billion-dollar loan from the IMF and another $800 million from the Asian Development Bank or ADB.

Additionally, Pakistan's budget saw a whopping 20 per cent hike in defence spending, while the overall expenditure has been slashed by 7 per cent. Some reports suggest that Pakistan's government has scrapped development projects worth nearly 1,000 billion Pakistani Rupees.