Pakistan showcases air defence system resembling Chinese HQ-17A: Bloomberg

Pakistan’s military has showcased an air defence system resembling China’s HQ-17A short-range surface-to-air missile platform in a promotional video, potentially indicating another development in the country’s expanding defence cooperation with Beijing, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

The six-wheeled military vehicle, fitted with a large rectangular radar array, was featured around 28 seconds into a video of Pakistani weapons released on the military’s official X account on Monday. Pakistan did not identify the system.

Tianran Xu, a senior analyst at Open Nuclear Network cited by Bloomberg, said the vehicle’s features resemble China’s HQ-17A, which was developed on the basis of Russia’s Tor air defence system.

If confirmed, the acquisition would mark China’s first publicly known sale of the HQ-17A to Pakistan. The Pakistani military, Pakistan Air Force and China’s Defence Ministry had not immediately responded to requests for comment, Bloomberg reported.

The official X account of China’s armed forces confirmed the model in a post on Monday. Footage of Chinese weapons acquired by foreign countries often emerges before an official announcement, according to the report.

Chinese official media outlet, China Daily also confirmed this saying: “Pakistan’s air force has become the third confirmed foreign buyer of the Chinese-made HQ-17AE air-defense system.”

A video released by the Pakistan Air Force’s Directorate General Public Relations section shows an HQ-17AE missile launch vehicle operating on a road with its radar searching for targets, it added.

Xu said the HQ-17A could provide effective defence against cruise missiles, manned aircraft and other low-altitude targets. He added that the system could potentially be integrated with Chinese command-and-control systems already supplied to Pakistan.

“However, the effectiveness of the HQ-17 or similar systems against emerging and fast-evolving drone threats remains to be tested on a real battlefield,” he added.

The HQ-17A is manufactured by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation and was first publicly displayed during China’s National Day military parade in 2019.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates that the People’s Liberation Army operates around 200 HQ-17 and 50 HQ-17A systems. Serbia and Tajikistan have also acquired the HQ-17AE, an export variant based on the HQ-17A, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Defence cooperation between Pakistan and China attracted international attention during the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, when Pakistan used Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets.

Pakistan claimed that the aircraft shot down several Indian jets, including French-made Rafales. India disputed the claims, while the performance of the J-10C came under close scrutiny following the conflict.