Iran is clearly under heavy attack and has taken significant damage; that much is visible to everyone. However, what many people overlook is that Iran is still responding and retaliating. This was expected, and it now appears that Iran had prepared for this scenario well in advance. Despite the pressure, its missile and drone capabilities are allowing it to continue the fight.
From Pakistan’s perspective, every conflict around the world provides lessons. The Pakistan Air Force is undoubtedly one of the strongest in South Asia, but military planning must constantly evolve by studying ongoing wars. Just as Pakistan learned lessons from its conflict with India in May 2025, it should also study the Ukraine–Russia war and the current Iran–Israel–US confrontation.
One major lesson is the growing importance of conventional missile forces and drones. Modern conflicts increasingly rely on stand-off weapons rather than traditional cross-border invasions. In the 2025 India–Pakistan confrontation, both sides largely avoided crossing borders, which shows how decisive long-range strike capabilities have become.
Pakistan should therefore invest heavily in supersonic and eventually hypersonic conventional missiles, along with advanced radar systems, air-defense networks, and hardened underground command facilities. If necessary, acquiring systems off-the-shelf from friendly countries such as China in the short term could be considered while building domestic production capability.
Mass production is equally important. Some reports suggest Iran can produce around 100–120 missiles per month. Pakistan should aim to develop a sustainable production capacity as well—perhaps 60–70 missiles per month across different ranges and speeds—so that the country has a credible conventional deterrent.
Another critical area is loitering and kamikaze drones, similar to Iran’s Shahed-type systems. In modern warfare these systems provide cost-effective strike capability and saturation potential. Pakistan should significantly expand domestic drone production and aim to maintain a large inventory.
Historically, Pakistan’s missile program was ahead of India’s in the early 2000s, but progress in conventional missile development slowed afterward. With the creation of Pakistan’s rocket force, there is now an opportunity to rebuild that momentum. The backbone of future deterrence will likely be a combination of missiles, drones, and integrated air defense systems, supported by underground and hardened infrastructure to protect strategic assets.
Pakistan also needs to consider acquiring strategic bomber-type platforms, as the Pakistan Air Force currently lacks a true bomber capability for long-range conventional strike missions.
The good news is that Pakistan is not isolated. It has strong strategic partnerships with countries such as China and Türkiye, which could support technology development and procurement if Pakistan prioritizes these capabilities.
In short, the lesson from the current conflicts is clear: future wars will be decided less by large ground invasions and more by missile forces, drones, and resilient command structures. Pakistan should prioritize these areas immediately if it wants to maintain a credible conventional deterrent in a rapidly changing security environment.
Pakistan Zindabad.