General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, attended the HQ-9/P high to medium air defence system commissioning event (HIMAD). Lieutenant General Hamood uz Zaman, Commander Army Air Defence Command, briefed the army chief on the upgraded air defence system.
Senior Chinese
authorities also attended the commissioning event. "The strategic
relationship and defence coordination between Pakistan and China are sources of
stability in the region," Pakistan's army commander stated.
The HQ-9/P is an HQ-9 version. At ranges of more than 100 kilometres, the HQ-9/P can intercept threats such as air-to-ground missiles, helicopters, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), guided bombs, cruise and ballistic missiles, and beyond visual range weaponry. It also has sophisticated electrical equipment and software for greater precision.
In addition to
Pakistan, HQ-9 is in service in China, Algeria, Morocco, Turkmenistan, and
Uzbekistan. Turkey initially also chose the system for its long-range air and
missile-defence program (T-LORAMIDS) in 2013. The system was never installed as
US-Led NATO strongly opposed Turkey.
